The Amtrak train from Los Angeles to Chicago hit a dump truck and got derailed near Mendon, Missouri. There were 243 passengers on board and reports have emerged that some have sustained injuries.
This event has shone a light on the history of Amtrak derailments, many in which the injury and body counts have been significantly higher. Here’s a look at the five deadliest Amtrak derailments.
June 10, 1971
This was Amtrak’s first major accident and took place in Salem, Illinois. The site of the crash was actually in Tonti, the unincorporated territory, which is why the incident is referred to as the Tonti derailment.
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It left 11 dead and 163 injured. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the derailment was due to a false flange on a flat wheel, which caused the axle to seize.
December 12, 1990
A black day at Black Bay, Massachusetts, saw an Amtrak train collide with another train. While nobody was killed in the incident, 453 people were injured. The NTSB found that the Amtrak train had entered a speed-restricted curve at excessive speeds, causing it to derail and crash into another train on a different track.
It spurred new speed restrictions and safety improvements near Black Bay.
September 22, 1993
Also known as the Big Bayou Canot rail accident, it remains the worst accident in Amtrak’s history. Forty-seven people died and 103 more sustained injuries when the Amtrak train derailed on the Big Bayou Canot Bridge, near Mobile, Alabama.
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It was caused by the displacement of a span and deformation of rails after a tow of heavy barges hit the rail bridge.
April 18, 2002
Another derailment near Crescent City, Florida, left four dead and 142 injured. The train derailed in a left-hand curve, and the cause was a heat-induced kink in the track.
The safety board recommended a slew of measures including continuous welded rail temperature control and continuous welded rail maintenance standards and procedures, among others.
May 12, 2015
The Amtrak train from Washington DC to New York derailed near the Kensington neighbourhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Eight people were killed, and 200 injured, 11 of them critically. Investigation showed that the train’s engineer, or driver, had become distracted by other radio transmissions and lost situational awareness.
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The finding was that automatic train control (ATC) could be implemented to prevent such situations. It helps in braking and speed control, and Amtrak finished installing this technology in all trains in 2020.
