HUTCHINSON, Kan. — If you think you’ve been seeing more trains through the area, you are correct.

Due to flooding in Nebraska, both Union Pacific and BNSF have started to reroute trains through other divisions including Hutchinson. BNSF’s Andy Williams said they are taking trains both north and south of Nebraska, which include a large number of long coal trains.

He could not give an estimate of how many more trains will move through the area or how long the changes will last. The last time such an event happened, train traffic went from about six BNSF trains per day to more than 20 and lasted an entire summer.

A spokesperson for Union Pacific said the company can’t pinpoint how much train traffic will increase, only that it is working to get trains moving out of the flooded areas as quickly as possible. UP currently runs between 20 and 25 trains per day through Reno County.

Motorist can expect longer and slower-moving trains through the area. Amtrak passengers can also expect later train arrivals due to the extra congestion.