- New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor service suspended due to Amtrak overhead wire issues WPVI-TV
- Overhead wire issues in NJ slowing Amtrak trains, stopping NJ Transit trains NBC 10 Philadelphia
- NJ Transit suspends Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line service due to overhead wire issues CBS News
- Amtrak power issue halts service from Philly, disrupts NJ Transit travelers Crain’s New York Business
- Amtrak service from Philadelphia to New York resumes after being suspended due to overhead power issues; NJ Transit returns too WPVI-TV
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Amtrak
Delayed Amtrak Auto Train arrives 37 hours after departure
Passengers traveling on an Amtrak Auto Train from a Washington, D.C., suburb Monday evening expected to arrive in the Orlando area by Tuesday morning. But their planned 17-hour journey experienced significant delays caused by a freight derailment.
The train rolled into the station in Sanford, Florida, on Wednesday morning, ending the 37-hour trip. The 563 passengers and 333 vehicles onboard had been delayed by almost 20 hours.
The southbound Amtrak Auto Train was detoured off its normal route due to the derailment of a CSX freight Monday night and was stopped in Denmark, South Carolina, while waiting for a new crew to arrive, Amtrak said.
“The train was detoured off its normal route in order to continue operating south,” Amtrak told ABC News late Tuesday, confirming that the train was moving again.
“We have been providing regular updates to customers, along with meals, snack packs and beverages,” it said. “The onboard staff is working with pet owners to provide bathroom breaks.”
An Amtrak train sits at a station stop in Union Station, Dec. 9, 2021, in Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE
The Amtrak Auto Train train, which departed Lorton, Virginia, at 5 p.m. Monday, was initially scheduled to arrive in Sanford, Florida, by 10 a.m. Tuesday. Only a few certified crews are able to operate the Auto Train, which carries passengers and their vehicles daily between the two destinations.
The CSX freight train collided with an unoccupied vehicle on the tracks in Lake City, South Carolina, shortly before 11 p.m. Monday, CSX said in a statement. No injuries were reported.
Auto Train service on Tuesday was canceled, while Silver Meteor and Silver Star trains that departed on Monday are operating on a detour and missing stops due to the derailment, Amtrak said.
Passengers were apparently calling 911 from the train when it was stuck, according to several videos obtained by ABC News in which a conductor can be heard asking people to stop calling police.
“For those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage,” a conductor can be heard over the loudspeaker. “We are giving you all the information in which we have. We are sorry about the inconvenience.”
The conductor can also be heard telling people not to open their windows to smoke on the train.
Amtrak reveals new Airo trains to replace old rolling stock
Amtrak on Thursday released details of its new Airo trains, which will operate on routes across the country beginning in 2026.
The routes include the Amtrak Northeast Regional, Empire Service, Virginia Services, Keystone Service, Downeaster, Cascades, Maple Leaf, New Haven/Springfield Service, Palmetto, Carolinian, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter, Ethan Allen Express and Adirondack.
The trains will reportedly replace the carrier’s 50-year-old rolling stock, according to The Washington Post.
“As we invest in the future, Amtrak is leading the way with a new era of rail,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a statement. “Our new trains will transform the Amtrak experience with significant environmental benefits, a progressive design and world-class amenities.”
According to the company, the “future” of Amtrak will include panoramic windows, speeds of up to 125 miles per hour, self-service food options, wayfinding with a color-coded system, enhanced comfort with spacious seating, enhanced lighting, improved technology and a greener impact.
The new trains are more fuel efficient and produce 90% less particulate emissions in diesel operations.
The new trains are part of a “larger transformation” Amtrak said will “revolutionize” its experience, including new Acela trains, major infrastructure projects, service expansion, station upgrades, modernization efforts and improved track capacity along the Northeast Corridor.
A share of Amtrak’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding will support the procurement of Airo trains, which will be manufactured by Siemens in California.
“Americans deserve modern, safe, reliable passenger rail service, and introducing brand new rail cars is a major step towards improving the daily experience of commuters and travelers who depend on Amtrak,” said Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose.
“This year, FRA provided nearly $4.3 billion in annual funding to support these improvements, and with President Biden’s historic investments in Amtrak, we’re poised to make intercity passenger rail an even more efficient, convenient and accessible mode of travel for Americans,” he added.
Metrolink, Amtrak suspend service between LA area and San Diego indefinitely because of shifting ground
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Metrolink and Amtrak announced the suspension of train services linking San Diego to the Los Angeles area over safety concerns in the community of San Clemente, located on the border of Orange and San Diego counties.
Service was suspended indefinitely starting Friday because the ground underneath a stretch of seaside track in southern California has shifted, officials said.
This comes after a recent ocean surge connected to Tropical Storm Kay led to high tides and waves that shifted the coastal tracks, which serve as the only viable link from San Diego to Los Angeles and the rest of the country.
The Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks, is expected to hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss possible solutions.
UNITED AIRLINES WILL HALT SERVICE AT NEW YORK’S JFK AIRPORT
Metrolink and Amtrak announced the suspension of train services linking San Diego to Los Angeles over safety concerns in the community of San Clemente, located on the border of Orange and San Diego counties. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“The emergency plan will likely involve driving large ground anchors into the bottom of the slope next to the track to prevent movement,” OCTA spokesperson Eric Carpenter told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Metrolink said service will continue to be suspended until it receives “confirmation from the experts the slope movement has stopped.”
“Working with geologists, geotechnical engineers, and surveyors, we have determined to ensure passenger safety service suspension is necessary,” the company said in a statement. “Until we have confirmation from the experts the slope movement has stopped, we will not resume Metrolink service.”
Service was suspended indefinitely starting Friday because the ground underneath a stretch of seaside track in southern California has shifted, officials said. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)
SPACEX LOOKING TO EXPAND STARLINK TO SCHOOL BUSES
Metrolink spokesperson Scott Johnson told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the company has placed over 20,000 tons of rock and boulders along the tracks to secure the right of way.
And Amtrak said in a statement that this is a “temporary track closure in San Clemente that will allow crews to repair and strengthen areas near the tracks – a team of geologists and engineers noticed a need for repairs after recent storms.”
The Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks, is expected to hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss possible solutions. (LUKE SHARRETT/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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“We plan to run modified service while repairs are made,” the statement said, adding that this could take several weeks.
Amtrak said it is working with transportation partners to offer train service for the route. The company said train service between Oceanside and San Diego will resume next week with a bus bridge connecting Oceanside and Irvine.
Amtrak working to restore canceled long-distance trains after railway labor agreement reached – WFTV
ORLANDO, Fla. — Amtrak is reversing course after announcing plans to cancel all long-distance trains.
7:10 a.m. Monday update:
After the Biden administration announced a tentative railway labor agreement was reached early Thursday, Amtrak is canceling a move to halt long-distance trains.
“Amtrak is working to quickly restore canceled trains and reaching out to impacted customers to accommodate on first available departures,” a company spokesperson said.
Read: Biden says railroad companies, unions reach tentative deal, averting strike
Channel 9 is following these breaking developments and will have continuing coverage on Eyewitness News.
Original report:
All long-distance Amtrak trains are canceled starting Thursday to avoid possible passenger disruptions while en route, including the auto-train that runs out of Sanford, the company announced Wednesday.
The cancellations are in response to ongoing railroad contract negotiations.
“Amtrak is closely monitoring the ongoing freight rail — rail labor contract negotiations,” the company wrote in an email. “The negotiations do not involve Amtrak or the Amtrak workforce. While we are hopeful that parties will reach a resolution, Amtrak has now begun phased adjustments to our service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption later this week.”
Amtrak said it is only operating trains this week that can assuredly reach their final destination by 12:01 a.m. Friday.
READ: Tropical Depression 7 forms in the Atlantic
Suspended services as of Tuesday include Southwest Chief, Empire Builder, California Zephyr and Train #421, a portion of the Texas Eagle.
Suspeneded services starting Wednesday are City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Star, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle.
Suspended services starting Thursday are Auto Train, Capitol Limited, Cardinal and Palmetto (south of Washington).
READ: Driver found dead in stolen RV after standoff with Lake County deputies identified
Amtrak said the interruption could “significantly impact” intercity passenger rail service. Additional customers scheduled to be on upcoming trains will be notified about the possibility of disruption.
“These initial adjustments include canceling all Long Distance trains and could be followed by impacts to most State-Supported routes,” Amtrak wrote. These adjustments are necessary to ensure trains can reach their terminals before freight railroad service interruption if a resolution in negotiations is not reached.
Amtrak said it operates almost all of its 21,000 route miles outside the Northeast Corridor on track-owned, maintained and dispatched by freight railroads.
READ: Orlando police search for man who threatened to rape woman walking in Lake Nona
In an statement emailed to WFTV, Sunrail, which is operated by the Florida Department of Transportation, said, “The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is aware of ongoing negotiations between rail carriers and rail unions. The Department continues to monitor the situation as a labor strike could impact SunRail service. More information will be available as developments occur..”
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is aware of ongoing negotiations between rail carriers and rail unions. The Department continues to monitor the situation as a labor strike could impact SunRail service. More information will be available as developments occur.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
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Amtrak cancels some long-distance trips as freight strike threat looms
“These initial adjustments … could be followed by impacts to all Long Distance and most State-Supported routes,” Amtrak said in a statement. “These adjustments are necessary to ensure trains can reach their terminals prior to freight railroad service interruption if a resolution in negotiations is not reached.”
Amtrak owns and operates much of its own track in the busy Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, but elsewhere it crosses the country on tracks owned by freight lines. Commuter lines that run between major cities and suburbs often operate on a similar model. Those freight tracks likely wouldn’t be available to passenger trains in the event of a widespread strike.
Any disruption would affect a passenger rail industry already weakened by 2 1/2 years of the pandemic, which has hit commuter rail lines especially hard.
Amtrak said it is closely monitoring the labor negotiations and is “hopeful that parties will reach a resolution,” citing potential effects on passenger operations. Amtrak said it has begun phased adjustments to service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption later this week, adding that “such an interruption could significantly impact intercity passenger rail service.”
Amtrak Monday announced cancellations on trains with Tuesday departures on the Empire Builder, the California Zephyr and the Southwest Chief routes.
Most travel within the Northeast Corridor would not be affected, Amtrak said. However, minor schedule changes are expected on a small number of Northeast Regional trains serving destinations from Virginia to Boston. The company will let passengers change their reservation for free for departures scheduled through Oct. 31
Jim Mathews, president and chief executive of the Rail Passengers Association, said cancelling trains early in the week makes sense to avoid a scenario in which rail passengers could become stranded.
“It’s better to cancel some trains now than to send some people out onto the road and then have them stranded in the middle of nowhere because the strike has hit and the train can’t move anymore,” he said. “Meanwhile we all keep our fingers crossed that finally [the railroads and labor unions] get to a settlement.”
Freight railroads and unions representing their workers have been locked in a lengthy dispute over pay and working conditions. After a presidential board recommended a compromise, 10 of 12 unions involved in the talks have signed on to the deal, but the two largest have not. A cooling-off period ends Thursday night, after which workers could strike or the railroads could lock out passenger rail agencies.
Officials at several regional rail agencies said Monday they were holding internal meetings to determine the potential effects and to develop contingency plans. A strike is not certain and the scope of any disruption to passenger services was not clear.
A key question would be whether the freight railroads’ dispatchers — whose job is to route trains — would continue to work. Without them, passenger trains probably could not operate on freight tracks.
Metrolink, a network of seven lines serving Los Angeles and other Southern California communities, warned customers last week of the potential for disruptions. Scott Johnson, a spokesman for the agency, said five of its seven lines use tracks owned by freight railroads, meaning as many as 70 percent of its customers could be affected.
Yet Johnson said Metrolink had little information Monday about what the precise effects might be.
“We are largely working from a position of darkness,” he said.
Normally when Metrolink cancels trains, Johnson said it organizes buses as a replacement. But in the case of a strike, the agency does not expect it would be able to provide an alternative means of transportation.
“Because of the possible expansive nature and the high number of trains, there simply are not enough buses to provide alternative service,” Johnson said.
The Maryland Department of Transportation said Monday that freight railroad CSX had notified it about the potential for a strike beginning Friday. The state said a strike would result in the “immediate suspension” of all service on two of its three MARC commuter lines serving the District — one to Baltimore and another to Martinsburg, W.Va.
Virginia Railway Express officials didn’t respond to a request for comment Monday.
DJ Stadtler, executive director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, which oversees passenger service in the state, said the authority is working with Amtrak and freight railroads to ensure passengers get the “most up-to-date information available” in the event of a strike.
Not every commuter rail operation would be affected. RTD, the transit agency serving Denver, said it didn’t expect its lines to suffer in the case of a strike. The nation’s biggest transit operator, New York’s MTA, said its two commuter rail services also were not expected to be affected.
The looming rail labor strike could further snarl a national rail network that’s been slowing to a crawl for months, officials with the Rail Passengers Association said, particularly hurting Amtrak passengers.
Disruptions to intercity train operations are on the rise, and more are likely as uncertainties linger amid staffing shortages and increased demand. Amtrak trips have been hampered by worsening problems on freight rail lines, which often share tracks with Amtrak trains.
One-third of Amtrak customers encountered delays in July, according to on-time performance data, with an average delay of 71 minutes. The share of delayed customers is trending up, Amtrak data shows, and delays are getting longer.
The disruptions are more pronounced for travelers on long-distance routes — which are late more than half the time — and in parts of the country outside the Northeast Corridor. Railroad association officials said the dispute could result in more widespread late trains or cancellations.
Commuter rail operators have been hard hit by changing working patterns brought on by the pandemic. In many cases, they offer more limited service at rush hour, which no longer suits workers with more flexible schedules. In Los Angeles, for example, Johnson said Metrolink had about 40,000 weekday boardings before the pandemic, a figure that now stands at about 17,000.
Widow of truck driver killed in Amtrak collision files wrongful death lawsuit over “ultra-hazardous” crossing
The widow of a man killed when the truck he was driving was hit by an Amtrak train this week has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. In the suit, Erin Barton alleges that the Missouri railroad crossing where Billy Dean Barton II died was “ultra-hazardous,” due in part to the defendants’ failures to maintain the intersection.
The first of two defendants is Mariano Rodriguez, a manager in the BNSF Railway’s engineering department. Rodriguez is in charge of ensuring “the safety, proper inspection and maintenance” of railroad crossings like the one near Mendon, the suit says.
But the widow alleges that he failed to do so, citing the crossing’s “impaired ‘sight triangles,'” an “excessively small crossing angle,” and other impairments, including “sloped approaches, brush, trees and vegetation blocking a full view of oncoming trains in some quadrants.” She said “the surfaces of the crossing were narrow, rough and poorly maintained.”
Ron Goulet
Additionally, the crossing did not have “bells, gates or lights” to warn vehicles of an approaching train — it only had crossbucks or signs saying that the tracks were nearby, the suit says.
“These conditions at the crossing created an ultra-hazardous crossing,” the suit says, adding that the conditions had been like that for years.
The suit cited the fact that it takes trains a significant amount of time — perhaps up to a mile — to stop fully. “This fact makes properly guarded, inspected and maintained crossing critical for safety,” it says.
Given these alleged safety concerns, Rodriguez “knew or should have known that the Porche crossing posed a grave danger to the public,” the suit said.
On June 27, these failures culminated in the fatal collision and derailment, the lawsuit alleges. Erin Barton’s husband was driving a dump truck through the crossing and “did not see or hear the train coming with adequate warning to safely cross the tracks.”
The crash killed him and three others on the train, which was carrying nearly 300 people from Los Angeles to Chicago. Many others were injured in the incident.
Erin Barton is seeking $25,000 and prejudgment interest for costs incurred from filing the lawsuit.
She is also suing Chariton County, Missouri, where the crash took place, for the same compensation. The lawsuit alleges that the county failed its duty to properly design, inspect and maintain its roads, including the approaches to the crossing. It says the county violated several roadway standards as well.
Prior to the crash, residents had reported to the county’s road authority several issues at the crossing, the suit said. Therefore, the suit alleges, the county was aware of the problems, and its negligence “caused or directly contributed” to Barton’s death.
This is the first reported lawsuit filed as a result of the crash. More than 10 victims in the derailment, including the family of a man who died, have retained lawyers “to represent their interests,” a separate law firm said in a statement to CBS News.
Sixteen National Transportation Safety Board investigators were on scene to try and determine the cause of the crash, chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday. They will download the train’s event recorder, and will examine the train’s two forward facing cameras as well as the dump truck’s electronic control module.
She said the NTSB has been recommending “for a number of years” that passive crossings, like the one near Mendon, be either converted to active ones, closed or consolidated. She also pointed out a 1998 NTSB study which recommended that vehicles have technology that would alert drivers to trains in the area.
Amtrak said Monday night that it was “deeply saddened” to learn of the deaths, adding that it’s cooperating with local authorities.
On Thursday, Amtrak and the BNSF Railway company, which owns the track on which the collision happened, sued Barton’s employer and the owner of the dump truck, MS Contracting, alleging it was responsible for the crash and accusing the company of negligence.
The lawsuit claims Barton “failed to yield the right of way to the approaching Amtrak Southwest Chief Train 4,” resulting in the collision. It deemed his actions “unsafe, careless and reckless.” It blamed the company for “negligently, carelessly, and recklessly” failing to adequately train Barton and maintain the truck.
The crash injured and killed Amtrak employees and passengers, significantly damaged property owned by the two companies, and resulted in delays and service disruption, according to the suit.
Amtrak and BNSF reported more than $75,000 in damages from the crash, and they are each seeking a payment of more than $75,000 in the lawsuit.
A Boy Scout tried to help truck driver hit in Amtrak train derailment
Eli and 14 other Boy Scouts had spent 10 days exploring the backcountry of New Mexico, mostly by backpacking through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and were on their way home to Appleton, Wis., said Dan Skrypczak, Eli’s father and the scoutmaster of Appleton Troop 73.
Each of the Scouts was whiling away the train ride in his own way, Skrypczak told The Washington Post late Tuesday. A few had used an app on their phone to determine the train was going about 90 mph, which impressed them. Some ate in the dining car. Others took in the scenery from an observation car retrofitted with floor-to-ceiling windows. One happened to be in the bathroom.
At 12:43 p.m., “a giant jolt” awakened Eli, who was in his seat. There was twisting metal and loud creaking. He smelled diesel. Then, his train car overturned onto its side, causing Eli to fall onto fellow Scouts who had been sitting across the aisle on the side of the train that had become the new floor.
Dan Skrypczak, 46, who was not on the train, said his son told him that “people started to panic.”
The Amtrak train had hit the dump truck near Mendon, derailing two locomotives and nearly every train car, The Post reported. Heading from Los Angeles to Chicago along Amtrak’s Southwest Chief line, the train was carrying 275 passengers and 12 crew members, according to Amtrak.
At least four people were killed and more than 100 were injured, The Post reported. On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board said it had dispatched a 16-member team to investigate.
The collision caused some of the Scouts from Wisconsin to lose their phones, AirPods and even their shoes, Skrypczak said. Eli and the others collected their wits, made sure they were all accounted for and started helping people.
“The adrenaline kicked in, and something took over and I knew what to do,” Eli told WITI. “It was unreal. It still doesn’t seem real to me.”
First, the Scouts secured passengers who seemed like they might have spinal cord injuries, his father told The Post. Then, they started popping out the train car’s emergency windows. When some got stuck, the Scouts took off their shirts for protection and broke the glass. They evacuated everyone they could.
They were “getting people out of windows and carrying them down,” Eli told the Milwaukee-based TV station. “I had to carry a couple kids in my arms, two at a time.”
After that, Eli ran to the front of the train to see if anyone was injured, his father told The Post. He learned the train had hit a vehicle when he saw wheels or an axle near the tracks. Then, in a ditch, he spotted a man who turned out to be the driver of the dump truck the train had just hit, whom authorities have not identified.
He was hurt — badly. He was bleeding and, although he was breathing, the man was gurgling. Eli gave him some water and tried to stop the bleeding. He told the driver that help was on the way. He held his hand. Soon, a local farmer joined Eli as they tended to the dying man.
“They were trying to comfort him,” Skrypczak said.
Eli and the farmer kept up their efforts until emergency crews arrived, something that probably took minutes but “seemed like a lifetime,” Skrypczak said. After initially joining the rescue efforts, the first responders told Eli and the farmer it was time to “call it” and “attend to the living.”
“And that’s what Eli and the boys did,” Skrypczak said.
Eli jumped into the fray. Since the crash, Skrypczak said, he’s been getting messages from others at the scene who remembered Eli as the kid pinballing between firetrucks and the crash site to resupply paramedics. Based on what others have told him, Skrypczak estimated his son made 100 trips.
“As a dad and a scoutmaster, I’m unbelievably proud,” Skrypczak said.
But Eli was just one of the Scouts helping, he added. Some performed first aid on their own scoutmasters who had been seriously injured. Others hauled passengers on backboards from the crash site to ambulances. When paramedics stopped them from doing that for the more seriously injured patients, the Scouts stripped out parts of the train car that might block rescue workers from getting people out of the wreckage.
“I teach emergency preparedness and first aid, and I don’t know that I would have thought of that,” Skrypczak said. “They had the demeanor to think of that. [I’m] so very proud of them.
“They certainly lived the Scout oath.”
Eventually, emergency crews ordered the Scouts to go to medical staff for assessment. All of them ended up going to the hospital, although none were seriously injured. Most are dealing with soreness and bruising. Some might have whiplash and a cracked rib or two. “But nothing serious,” Skrypczak said. “Some of these kids have certainly had worse on the athletic field.”
All of the Scouts were back home in Wisconsin late Tuesday, Skrypczak said.
Eli and his fellow Scouts have solid support networks at home and school. Their parents are already making sure they get the counseling they need to work through Monday’s derailment.
Once the adrenaline wore off, Eli was shaken up, his father said, adding that he thinks his son was experiencing the first pangs of survivor’s guilt. By Tuesday, he seemed fine, although Skrypczak knows firsthand that his son will have to cope with what happened for years to come.
“Eli is upset he couldn’t do more. I keep reiterating to him that he did everything he could. The state highway patrol told him the same thing. There was nothing he could’ve done to save him,” Skrypczak told Today.
Like his son, Skrypczak has found himself pressed into sudden rescue efforts, not all of which have had happy endings, he told The Post. So he knows that’s not something you shake off in a couple days. Trying to help someone with all your might only to have that person die in front of you — “it’s devastating.”
Amtrak train derailment latest: Fourth person dies after train hit dump truck in Missouri
Train carrying 243 passengers derails near Kansas City, Missouri
Four people have been killed and at least 50 injured when an Amtrak train carrying 275 people derailed after hitting a dump truck in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday.
Lt Eric Brown of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a press conference that at least three people had died, two of whom were on the train and one of whom was in the truck. A fourth person was confirmed to have died on Tuesday.
The Southwest Chief Train 4 was on its way from Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck. The force of the accident caused the train to derail in the town of Mendon around 12:42pm on Monday, according to Amtrak.
The company, which confirmed 275 passengers and 12 crew members were on board the intercity train, said it is “deeply saddened” to learn about the deaths of three people, two passengers and the truck driver.
The incident is the second in two days for Amtrak trains. On Sunday, three people were killed and two others suffered severe injuries after a train carrying 85 passengers hit a vehicle in rural California.
Two passengers were celebrating wedding anniversary
At least one couple onboard the Amtrak train which collided with a dump truck near Mendon, Missouri, were celebrating a wedding anniversary when the derailment occurred.
Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side, the Associated Press reported.
“The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car,” she told WDAF-TV. “Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands.”
Amtrak confirmed that 275 passengers were riding the Los Angeles to Chicago service when it derailed. Three paassengers were among the four people killed.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 20:58
Derailment ‘was going to happen’, local farmer says
A farmer who warned authorities and other Missouri residents of the apparent dangers of the railroad crossing where an Amtrak train derailed on Monday has said it was “a matter of time” before such an incident occurred.
Mike Spencer, 64, said in an interview with the Kansas City Star that promises to upgrade the crossing – which does not have signals or lights – had fallen flat. Nor had the brush been cut back to improve visibility.
A second farmer, 62-year-old Daryl Jacobs, agreed and said: “It needs arms on it or signals”.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 20:30
Killed truck driver was working locally
The driver of the drump truck which collided with an Amtrak train carrying 275 passengers on Monday was working on a local infrastructure project, according to local resident and farmer Mike Spencer.
He said the driver had been delivering rock to a nearby project on a creek where a levy is being built, which had been going for a couple of days, according to the Associated Press.
Another farmer, 62-year-old Daryl Jacobs, told the Kansas City Star the driver appeared to “stall” on a ramp leading up to the railroad crossing before the vehicle ended-up on the tracks. That remains to be confirmed by investigators.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 19:59
Missouri’s state highway patrol said on Tuesday that the fourth person to die following the derailment had died of their injuries.
They were among about 150 people taken from the train to nearby hospitals, where people are thought to be receiving treatment for minor and serious injuries sustained when their Amtrak train collided with a dump truck near Mendon.
Here’s everything we know so far:
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 19:15
Breaking: Fourth person dies
A fourth person has died from injuries suffered in an Amtrak train derailment in Missouri, authorities say. The patrol said the person died at University of Missouri Health Center, where some of the injured form Monday’s collision were taken.
The person, whose identity was not released, was passenger on the train travelling from LA to Chicago, the Associated Press reported.
Two other passengers and the driver of a truck were earlier confirmed to have died.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 18:45
Crossing was due to be improved
The crossing where an Amtrak train derailed on Monday is among a number of railroad infrastructure locations to be improved, the Kansas City Star reports.
Located in a rural area about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City, the crossing from the collision has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train, which local residents and farmers have complained of.
It remains unclear when improvement works were due to begin.
Only about half of all the roughly 3,800 highway-railroad crossings across Missouri are equipped which alarms and other features, the Star said, citing a local action plan.
Missouri’s Department of Transportation’s Office of Multimodal Operations controls rail in the state.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 18:08
Trains pass crossing at ‘up to 90mph’
Missouri farmer and local resident Mike Spencer said trains pass though the crossing where the Amtrak derailment occurred at speeds between 45 and 90mph.
While it was unclear at what speed Monday’s derailed Amtrak service was travelling at, a video reportedly posted by Mr Spencer to Facebook earlier this month showed a train “only moving at approximately 45-50 but some come through at anywhere from 70-90 mph,” he wrote.
“If you cross here with a vehicle, stop, approach very slowly, then look both ways. There are two tracks and around 85 trains go through there every day,” the 64-year-old added in an apparent warning to others, according to the Kansas City Star.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 17:36
NTSB investigators on site
The National Transportatation Safety Board (NTSB) are leading the investigation into the Amtrak derailment near Mendon, Missouri, and were expected to have investigators at the scene on Tuesday,
Jennifer Homendy, the chairwoman of the NTSB, told reporters that no trains will run on the track for “a matter of days” while they gather evidence.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 16:58
Derailment ‘was going to happen’, local farmer says
A farmer who warned authorities and other Missouri residents of the apparent dangers of the railroad crossing where an Amtrak train derailed on Monday has said it was “a matter of time” before such an incident occurred.
Mike Spencer, 64, said in an interview with the Kansas City Star that promises to upgrade the crossing – which does not have signals or lights – had fallen flat. Nor had the brush been cut back to improve visibility.
A second farmer, 62-year-old Daryl Jacobs, agreed and said: “It needs arms on it or signals”.
Gino Spocchia28 June 2022 15:59
ICYMI: Investigators request camera and speed data from Amtrak
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said it will send a 16-member “go team” to investigate the derailment of an Amtrak train near Mendon, Missouri on Monday.
In a news conference on Monday, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, who will be part of the team, said the agency is requesting speed data from along the route and on-board recorder logs and camera footage from the train.
“With the team, we’ll have specialists from mechanical, from signal systems from operations and survival factors,” she said. “We’ll have a highway person, a drone operator, and some team members from NTSB’s Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance to work with survivors and families of those who were involved in the derailment….
“”We are requesting information [from] any sort of forward facing or internal facing cameras – that way we can see what was in front of the train or what was going inside on inside the locomotive – as well as any other recorder information that could be provided on the speed of the train at the time of the derailment.
“We’re asking for information on the manifest so we can confirm the number of passengers and the crew members on board,and we’re looking at information on the line and the crossing itself.”
The NTSB is a federal agency that investigates transport accidents, and has probed previous Amtrak derailments in Montana in 2021 and Washington state in 2019.
Io Dodds28 June 2022 14:58
Amtrak train derails: NTSB investigators arrive at derailment in Missouri that killed 4 and injured 150
The derailment occurred as the train, traveling eastbound to Chicago, collided with a dump truck at a crossing near the town of Mendon in north-central Missouri at about 12:42 p.m. Monday, according to Amtrak. Eight of the train’s cars and two locomotives left the track, the company said.
The death toll rose from three to four Tuesday afternoon, according to a tweet by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP). Three of the victims were train passengers, according to MSHP. In a press conference Monday, Cpl. Justin Dunn, a spokesperson for MSHP Patrol Troop B, said one of the deceased victims was in the dump truck.
Additionally, MSHP said approximately 150 people were taken from the scene to local hospitals “for treatment of injuries that range from minor to serious in nature.” A county ambulance service director previously said at least 50 people were injured.
Approximately 275 passengers and 12 crew members were on board at the time of the crash, Amtrak said in its statement.
“We started feeling the train tilting over to the right. That’s when it kind of went through my mind that this is life or death. This is very serious,” Dax McDonald, who was on the train with his sister Samantha, told CNN’s “New Day.”
Their train car had tipped over and was laying on its side. Samantha McDonald said she looked straight up and saw the windows that offered their only chance for escape.
“We had to climb 10 feet straight above us to the escape windows,” she said. “I was able to lift myself up, and then there was other passengers that had gotten out before us from the other train cars that were able to help lift me up and our family,” she said. “It was absolutely insane.”
Preliminary reports indicate the crossing where the train hit the dump truck was “uncontrolled,” meaning there were no lights or mechanized arms.
The team of NTSB investigators arrived at the site Tuesday, the agency said on Twitter, adding NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy was expected to hold a news conference in the afternoon.
Homendy previously said the “Go Team” of 16 investigators would request speed data on the route, data recorder information and camera footage from Amtrak upon their arrival.
The NTSB team will include “specialists from mechanical, from signal systems, from operations and survival factors. We’ll have a highway person, a drone operator, and some team members from NTSB’s Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance to work with survivors and families of those who were involved in the derailment,” Homendy said.
Amtrak officials said in a statement Monday night they were “deeply saddened” over the loss of life and injures.
“Amtrak is working with local authorities to make sure those who are injured get medical care and everyone else receives services and transportation. We are grateful for the support from the local authorities who provided assistance and resources for our customers and employees,” the statement said.
The collision was the second in two days involving an Amtrak train. On Sunday, 85 passengers were on board a train in rural California that hit a vehicle. Three people were killed and two people suffered major injuries, all of whom were in the vehicle, according to officials.
Passengers describe escaping from overturned train cars
Jason Drinkard, a high school teacher on board and traveling with students en route to a conference in Chicago, told CNN affiliate KMBC passengers began fleeing as soon as the train skidded to a halt. Their car was one of many that tipped over on its side, he said.
“People were already out of the train, popping the windows off,” said Drinkard, who was uninjured. He, his wife and others “started evacuating people out of the cars as quick as possible.”
His students were shaken up but largely okay, he told KMBC, yet he found passengers in another car were slow to exit and required further first aid.
“I looked at my wife and I said, ‘There is no way we got out of this without God,'” he said. “I’m very thankful that everyone in my group, they’re going home tonight.”
Robert Nightingale, a passenger with a sleeper car, told CNN he was taking a nap when he heard something.
“It all happened like slow motion. It started to rock and, and rock, and then flicker, and then it just all of a sudden — all this dust was through my window,” Nightingale said.
He said the train fell over on the side that his compartment was on.
Nightingale, who was not injured, said he couldn’t get through the window, which was blocked by dirt, so he grabbed his backpack and climbed into the hallway. Then he moved into a neighboring room where he found a way to climb out and onto the side of the train.
He said some people helped others reach the ground where he and others walked to the front of the train. He said the truck looked like it had big boulders in it.
“It hit something major to cause … every car to go off,” he said.
Scouts on board helped those in need
Two Boy Scout troops from Appleton, Wisconsin, were on the Amtrak train and assisted people who were hurt, Scott Armstrong, director of national media for Boy Scouts of America, told CNN Monday.
The Scouts on the train are believed to be between 14 and 17 years old, Armstrong said, adding none of them were hurt. Eight adults were with the troops.
Passenger Larry Brown told CNN affiliate KCTV that the Scouts and their adults “were really the first responders” in the initial moments after the crash.
“When I opened up one of the windows to open up the roof area, they were already up there trying to help people come out,” he told KCTV.
“They did a real good job. Very mature for their age. Whatever they’re teaching them in the Scouts, it paid off today.”
The two troops were on their way back from a stay at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Armstrong said, and the organization is working with them on completing their trip home to Wisconsin.
CNN’s Travis Caldwell, David Williams, Steve Almasy, Amanda Musa, Jalen Beckford, Jennifer Feldman, Melanie Whitley, Andi Babineau, Jamiel Lynch, Rashard Rose, Elise Hammond and Melissa Macaya contributed to this report.