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Fifteen miles of the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad’s (SKOL) track is submerged and two bridges have been damaged because of heavy rains and floods that have ravaged Kansas and Oklahoma the past week. The 404-mile short line won’t restore service until Friday pending track inspections, according to SKOL parent The Watco Cos. Inc.

Affected areas include Pittsburg, Kan., west to Winfield, Kan., and Cherryvale, Kan., south to Tulsa, Okla. Many cities along the line have been declared a state of emergency by Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, according to Watco. SKOL’s service from Bartlesville, Okla., to Tulsa hasn’t been impacted by flood waters.

SKOL issued an embargo on about 250 miles of its system, including traffic to and from all Kansas stations except between Pittsburg and Columbus, and Pittsburg and Hallowell.

Watco’s rail-car repair shop in Neodesha, Kan., also is underwater and will be out of service until Monday, according to the holding company, which owns 14 short lines operating in 16 states.

Meanwhile, parts of Union Pacific Railroad’s mainline in Kansas and Oklahoma remain six feet under water. Repairs are under way, but portions won’t reopen until today or tomorrow, according to UP. The floods are causing train delays lasting 48 hours or longer between Kansas City, North Little Rock, Ark., and Fort Worth, Texas.

BNSF Railway Co. is experiencing similar delays because two mainlines were washed out in Melvern, Kan., about 71 miles west of Kansas City, Kan. The Class I repaired and reopened the tracks yesterday, but anticipates 48-hour or less delays on the corridor.