Amtrak train collides with a backhoe south of Philadelphia leaving two dead; travel suspended on Northeast Corridor

[kevindavis007]

An Amtrak train struck a backhoe that was left on the tracks south of Philadelphia Sunday, and fatalities were reported.


The train struck the piece of equipment around 8 a.m. this morning in Chester, Pa. and caused the train's engine to derail.


Two people were reportedly killed, and others were being treated for injuries.


The train had left New York City early Sunday morning and was bound for Savannah, Ga., carrying 341 passengers and 7 crew members, according to a statement from Amtrak.


Travel was suspended on the Northeast Corridor between New York City and Philadelphia following the incident.


“We are aware of the incident involving the Palmetto train 89 south of Philadelphia and we will provide update as they become available,” Amtrak wrote on Twitter.


The accident comes nearly a year after another Amtrak accident near Philadelphia claimed the lives of 8 people and injured over 200 on May 12, 2015 when the speeding train derailed going around curved tracks.


The investigation into the cause of last year's crash involving engineer Brandon Bastion is still inconclusive.


Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/amtrak-crash-south-philadelphia-leaves-2-dead-article-1.2586840


This is the main reason why I will never take the train.

[mountaineer]

How frightening.

2 Dead in Amtrak Crash Near Philadelphia
EMILY SHAPIRO, Good Morning America 1 hour 28 minutes ago


Two people were killed when an Amtrak train partially derailed near Philadelphia today, officials said.

Amtrak said Train 89, traveling from New York to Savannah, Georgia, partially derailed after striking a backhoe that was on the tracks.

The identities of the two victims were not immediately clear.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said the two fatalities were reportedly the backhoe operator and another track personnel. Travis Thomas of the Chester Fire Department said the two people killed were not passengers. Amtrak did not immediately comment on the victims.

Thirty-five people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The train struck the backhoe in Chester, Pennsylvania -- approximately 15 miles outside of Philadelphia -- and came to a stop in the neighboring town of Trainer, the fire department said.

The train had 341 passengers and seven crew members on board at the time of the crash.

Passenger Ari Ne’eman, who was sitting in the second car, told ABC News the train got "extremely bumpy" and at one point the window in the aisle across from him "started to break apart."  He said it appeared that many injuries were in the first car. Ne'eman said most passengers were fine and that they were being moved to a local church.

Amtrak said its Northeast Corridor service between Wilmington and Philadelphia is suspended until early this afternoon. Keystone Service between New York and Harrisburg is not affected, Amtrak said.

Federal Railroad Administration officials are at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board was notified and is planning to send a team.

[Fishrrman]

The equipment that was struck may have been a "backhoe", or it might have been another piece of track maintenance equipment resembling one.

It may have been an Amtrak track crew out there working, in which case a track foreman would be "protecting" the work against oncoming trains.
Or, it might have been a private contractor (non-Amtrak employees), with a "conductor/flag" on duty to provide protection for the work.

Normally, before a crew works on a live track, the person in charge (foreman or conductor) will call the train dispatcher for "foul time".

Or -- if the work was by an Amtrak track gang, the "limits" of the work area would be published in a "bulletin" and the train crew would have a copy. In that case, the engineer is not supposed to "enter the limits" of the restriction until communicating with the person on-the-ground providing protection.

That's how it's supposed to work.
But obviously, someone screwed up somewhere.

I was lucky in my 32 years on the railroad -- never got tangled up with a track or work crew. But it can happen to anyone...