Train derails, plunges onto highway in US

A local train carrying 78 passengers derailed while crossing an icy highway bridge. The carriages were hanging off the bridge and several people were killed.

The incident occurred at around 7:40 a.m. on December 18 in Pierce County, Washington state. The Amtrak passenger train derailed while traveling at 130 km/h on a bridge and plunged onto the I-5 interstate below, according to the AP news agency.

The accident site was between Tacoma and Olympia, the capital of Washington state. A total of 13 out of 14 train cars were derailed.

A Washington Department of Transportation spokesman said there were about 78 passengers on board, along with five crew members. The crash shut down all southbound lanes of I-5.

The Associated Press quoted Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer as saying there were "multiple fatalities," but another source, about three hours after the crash, told the AP that at least six people were killed, and a source from the Multicare Health hospital system said at least 22 people were taken to area hospitals.

US train derails and crashes onto busy highway. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the victims and affirmed that his administration "is closely monitoring the incident and coordinating closely with local authorities to handle the incident."

The US leader then pointed out what he had seen and was having fixed: "Our roads, bridges, tunnels, and railway systems are in such bad shape. We can't let this go on any longer."

Mr. Trump implied that Congress must soon pass the large-scale infrastructure investment plan that his administration has proposed, as he promised to implement immediately (if he wins) during the election campaign.

Ironically, the railway section where the accident occurred had just been upgraded to handle more trains, and the train that crashed was the inaugural train, departing from Seattle at 6 a.m.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but initial suspicions are that the train was driven incorrectly because it entered the curve at such a high speed.

Police said no drivers on the expressway were killed but several people were injured when vehicles collided with each other when they stopped suddenly to avoid falling train cars.

An Amtrak train typically travels at an average speed of over 80 mph and slows to around 40 mph when necessary. The accident raised concerns about safety as many trains travel at high speeds across busy tracks.

The most recent Amtrak train accident occurred on May 12, 2015, when train 188, traveling between Washington and New York with 243 passengers, derailed while entering a curve at 170 km/h, more than twice the speed limit. The accident killed eight people and injured more than 200.

Up to now, CNN TV station quoted sources at the scene saying that all the injured have been removed from the train cars. However, no one knows exactly how many people died in this serious accident.

"Some of the cars or crushed cars are not safe enough to search, but we believe there are no survivors inside," said Ed Troyer.

The Amtrak train that crashed today is owned by the Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation. The track itself is owned by Sound Transit, another private entity.

A Sound Transit representative confirmed that they are working with the Joint Command Center to receive new information from the scene and pledged to conduct an investigation. The exact cause of the accident has not been determined.

Part of the train fell onto the highway. Photo: Reuters

However, the head of Amtrak confirmed that the Train Control (PTC) system was not working at the track where the accident occurred. PTC is considered a last resort for the US railway industry, allowing proactively reducing the speed or even stopping trains that are running too fast or showing signs of derailment, according to CNN.

If the PTC installed on Sound Transit tracks is indeed not working, it would be a real shame for America, one investigator said.

In fact, according to Reuters news agency, in September 2017, Sound Transit admitted that it had not yet installed any PTC systems on its tracks.

By law, all passenger rail tracks must have PTC installed by 2018. However, Sound Transit and some others have delayed, saying it is too complicated and will take more time.

President Trump, while sympathizing with the victims and their families, said the accident once again underscored the need to improve rail infrastructure.

According to Tuoi Tre