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A look at recent Amtrak accidents

The deadly Amtrak derailment in north-central Montana of the Empire Builder, traveling from Chicago to Seattle, is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board

Via AP news wire
Sunday 26 September 2021 16:05 EDT
Amtrak Train Derails
Amtrak Train Derails (Kimberly Fossen)

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National Transportation Safety Board investigators are trying to determine the cause of the Amtrak derailment in north-central Montana that killed three people aboard the Empire Builder, traveling from Chicago to Seattle.

The train, carrying about 141 passengers and a crew of 16, left the tracks about 4 p.m. Saturday near Joplin, Montana, about 30 miles south of the Canadian border.

Other recent Amtrak accidents:

—- Dec. 18, 2017: Three people were killed and 10 seriously injured in a derailment near Olympia Washington, in which part of the train landed on Interstate 5. The train was traveling more than 80 mph during its inaugural run of a newly opened, faster rail line when it left the tracks.

— April 3, 2016: Two maintenance workers were struck and killed by train going more than 100 mph in Chester, Pennsylvania. The lead engine of the train derailed.

— March 14, 2016: A train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in southwest Kansas, injuring at least 32 people. Investigators concluded a cattle feed delivery truck hit the track and shifted it at least a foot before the derailment.

— Oct. 5, 2015: A train headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., derailed when it hit rocks that had fallen onto the track from a ledge. Seven people were injured.

— May 12, 2015: A train traveling at twice the 50 mph speed limit derailed as it entered a sharp curve in Philadelphia. Eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured.

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