On June 24, 2023, a railroad bridge collapsed in the United States under the weight of a freight train. Following the accident, the rail line used by Boeing to transport airframes between Wichita, Kansas and Renton, Washington is damaged. Under these conditions, Boeing is having trouble securing the necessary flow for the production of 737 MAX and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.
Specifically, the fuselages of the new 737 MAX airplanes are manufactured at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, and transported by rail to the Boeing assembly line in Renton, Washington. But now the line is affected, and Boeing is looking for solutions to be able to transport the fuselages to the production plant to the assembly line.
A temporary solution calls for Boeing to transport the 737 MAX fuselages by train to the collapsed bridge, then load the fuselages onto trucks and take them to the other side of the Yellowstone River, then load them back onto the train so they can -continue his journey to Renton. But the whole process is slower and Boeing could have problems with delivery times for the 737 MAX planes.
Surely these delays will be reflected in delivery times and implicitly in the operations of some airlines. Local authorities and representatives of the railway infrastructure mentioned that the bridge will be rebuilt in a few weeks.