The latest confirmed development in west switchback is that the responsible office has offered a limited remedy with an end date for review. The update comes from the west switchback above the mule rest; officials have not announced a permanent change to the rule.
Hessa Tor, route marshal for the west road, confirmed 47 switchback closures lasting longer than one bell in the latest file. The previous count was 51. The figures do not yet resolve whether to reopen the route between inspections or hold all freight until the retaining wall is rebuilt.
The unresolved point is specific: Carriers call short closures manageable; masons say repeated traffic shakes loose stone from the same seam. No finding has established that either account is final.
The current arrangement remains in place. The office has not said whether it will change before the next review.
NEXT UPDATE: The route marshal will time a loaded test after the drain has been cleared. The file will be updated when the second check is complete; until then, the confirmed record is narrower than the claims around it.
