Avalanche stops trains between Sacramento, Reno

An avalanche has prompted Amtrak officials to suspend passenger rail service between Sacramento and Reno, Nevada after more than more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow fell in the Sierra Nevada. Officials also shut down a 70-mile (112-kilometers) stretch of Interstate 80 from Reno to Colfax, California.

Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said Wednesday that the service on the California Zephyr rail line has been suspended until weather conditions improve from a series of storm that has dumped rain in Northern California and snow in the mountains that divide the state from Nevada. The storm has also caused heavy snow in Washington state and Montana.

The avalanche sent snow onto the tracks owned by Union Pacific at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at Donner Pass about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Truckee, California.

Union Pacific spokesman Tim McMahan says crews are still working to clear the tracks. He says there’s no estimate on when they will reopen.

The region remains under a winter storm warning until 4 a.m. Thursday.