Spokane, Washington – BNSF Railway Live Train Cam

Virtual Railfan's LIVE train cameras in Spokane, Washington, are located at Milepost 71.9 of the BNSF Spokane Subdivision, part of BNSF's Northern Transcon. The timetable speed limit for this elevated section through downtown is 25 MPH, and it generally sees up to about 50 trains per day, although that number fluctuates with seasonal needs.

The line also sees trains from Union Pacific, operating via trackage rights, and Amtrak's twice-daily Empire Builder, which stops at the Spokane depot just east of our cameras, where it joins together or splits with one portion traveling to/from Seattle, Washington, and the other to/from Portland, Oregon.

The Spokane Subdivision traces its roots to the Northern Pacific Railway, which reached Spokane in 1881. The NP later merged with the Great Northern to form the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970. It then became part of the BNSF Railway in 1995 when it merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.

Hosted by the Steam Plant Restaurant & Brew Pub (a Ruby Hospitality property), our cameras are mounted on the upper exterior of this 1916-built former power plant. Learn more about our host here: https://steamplantspokane.com/history/

Watch freight and passenger trains navigate this busy Northern Transcon mainline through downtown Spokane. From the elevated vantage point at the historic Steam Plant, you'll see BNSF and Union Pacific freight operations, plus Amtrak's Empire Builder making scheduled stops. This is one of North America's busiest rail corridors, offering excellent railfan viewing with up to 50 trains daily.