The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
42°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

A look at recent Amtrak accidents

In this photo provided by Kimberly Fossen an ambulance is parked at the scene of an Amtrak train derailment on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in north-central Montana. Multiple people were injured when the train that runs between Seattle and Chicago derailed Saturday, the train agency said. (Kimberly Fossen)
Associated Press

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, 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.