At least three were killed and over 50 were left injured after an Amtrak train running between Seattle and Chicago derailed on Saturday afternoon (EST) in north-central Montana leaving, the train agency, which has been involved in several such mishaps over the years, announced.
The accident of the Empire Builder train took place near Joplin, a town of about 200, at 4 pm, Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said in a statement. The accident scene is about 150 miles (241 kilometres) north of Helena and about 30 miles (48 kilometres) from the border with Canada.
However, this is not the first time the name ‘Amtrak trains’ had been reported to be involved in a crash or derailments, several such incidents involving the agency have been reported in the past as well. Here is a list of some massive Amtrak train accidents over the years.
January 2018 in Virginia
In January 2018, a chartered Amtrak train, which was carrying Republican members of Congress to a legislative retreat crashed into a garbage truck at a railroad crossing in Virginia. The accident killed one person and injured at least six.
February 2018 in South Carolina
On February 4, 2018, an Amtrak train heading to Miami from New York collided with a freight train in the middle of the night in Cayce. It was later reported that the Amtrak train was on the wrong track when the accidents occurred.
At least two people, the train conductor and engineer were killed in the incident while some 116 were injured, according to the authorities.
The track the Amtrak train was on had been manually switched and “lined and locked,” Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at that time.
December 2017 in Washington
On December 18, 2017, an Amtrak train, which was on its inaugural run for a new route derailed near Washington. The train was travelling from Seattle to Portland.
According to ABC News, the train entered a curve at 78 mph while the speed limit in the area is 30 mph.
At least three people were killed and some 70 people were injured in the derailment accident.
The engineer said he missed a mile marker and a speed sign prior to the fatal crash, according to the NTSB.
May 2015 in Pennsylvania
An Amtrak train going from Pennsylvania to New York derailed near Philadelphia on the night of May 12, 2015. The mishap killed at least eight people and left some 200 injured.
The incident is often dubbed as one of the most fatal Amtrak incidents.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the train was travelling at 106 mph in an area where the speed is restricted to 50 mph.
