Amtrak train on new route derails in Washington state killing

DUPONT, Wash., Dec 18 (Reuters) - An Amtrak train derailed on Monday in Washington state on its inaugural run on a faster route from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, sending passenger cars tumbling from a bridge onto a major highway, killing a number of riders and injuring nearly 100.

blockThe derailment caused "multiple fatalities," Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the local sheriff's office, told reporters at the scene, though he did not offer a specific number. The train struck several cars on Interstate 5, he added, causing injuries but no additional deaths.

blockThirteen of the train's 14 cars jumped the tracks, and five vehicles plus two semi-trailer trucks were involved in the accident, Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Brooke Bova said.

blockSeventy-seven people were transported to hospitals in Pierce and Thurston counties, the Tacoma-based healthcare network CHI Franciscan Health said, including four "level red" patients with the most severe injuries. Another 20 patients were treated at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, nine in "serious but stable" condition, the center said.

blockFour hours after the 7:40 a.m. (1540 GMT) crash in DuPont, Washington, several train cars remained dangling from the overpass, with others strewn across the roadway.

blockAbout 78 passengers and five crew members were aboard the train, Amtrak said in a statement.

blockSome people escaped by kicking out windows, passenger Chris Karnes told local news outlet KIRO 7.

block"All of a sudden, we felt this rocking and creaking noise, and it felt like we were heading down a hill," Karnes said. "The next thing we know, we're being slammed into the front of our seats, windows are breaking, we stop, and there's water gushing out of the train. People were screaming."

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blockSlide 1 of 15: This aerial image from video provided by KOMO-TV, shows the site of an Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. Authorities reported "injuries and casualties." The train derailed about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Seattle before 8 a.m., spilling at least one train car on to busy Interstate 5. (KOMO-TV via AP) TV OUT MANDATORY CREDIT

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block1/15 SLIDES © KOMO-TV via AP

blockAmtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 near Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 18, 2018. Seventy-eight passengers and five crew members were aboard when the train, moving at more than 80 mph, derailed about 40 miles south of Seattle before 8 a.m.

blockThis aerial image from video provided by KOMO-TV, shows the site of an Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle on Dec. 18, 2017.Â

block2/15 SLIDES © Pierce County Sheriff's Department/Handout via REUTERS

block Parts of an Amtrak passenger train at the scene of derailment on interstate highway I-5 is seen in this Pierce County Sheriff's Department image, in DuPont, Wash., on Dec. 18, 2017.Â

block3/15 SLIDES © Tom James/Reuters

block First responders are seen at the scene of an Amtrak passenger train derailment, in DuPont, Wash., on Dec. 18, 2017.Â

block4/15 SLIDES © Elaine Thompson/AP

block Cars from an Amtrak train lay spilled onto Interstate 5 alongside smashed vehicles as some train cars remain on the tracks above, on Dec. 18, 2017, in DuPont, Wash.Â

block5/15 SLIDES © Elaine Thompson/AP

block A semi-truck with visible damage to its hood sits parked on the shoulder near where an Amtrak train spilled onto Interstate 5 on Dec. 18, 2017, in DuPont, Wash.Â

block6/15 SLIDES © Elaine Thompson/AP

block Cars from an Amtrak train remain on the tracks above where other cars spilled below onto Interstate 5, on Dec. 18, 2017, in DuPont, Wash.Â

block7/15 SLIDES © Elaine Thompson/AP

block Cars from an Amtrak train lay spilled onto Interstate 5 below as some remain on the tracks above, on Dec. 18, 2017, in DuPont, Wash.Â

block8/15 SLIDES © Washington State Patrol/Shutterstock

blockAmtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 near Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 18, 2018.Â

block9/15 SLIDES © Pierce County Sheriff/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

block Emergency personnel at the scene of the Amtrak train 501 derailment, on Dec. 18, 2018.Â

block10/15 SLIDES © Pierce County Sheriff/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

blockEmergency personnel at the scene of the Amtrak train 501 derailment, on Dec. 18, 2018.

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block11/15 SLIDES © Pierce County Sheriff/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

block A handout photo made available by the Pierce County Sheriffs Department shows Amtrak train 501 after it derailed onto Interstate 5 near Olympia, Washington, on Dec. 18.

block12/15 SLIDES © Danae Orlob via AP

blockThis photo provided by Danae Orlob shows the Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle on Dec. 18, 2017.

block13/15 SLIDES © Washington State Patrol/Shutterstock

blockAmtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 near Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 18, 2018.

block14/15 SLIDES © Washington State Patrol/Shutterstock

blockAmtrak train 501 hanging from overpass onto Interstate 5.

block15/15 SLIDES © Washington Dept. of Transportation

blockTraffic camera view of the derailment.Â

block15/15 SLIDES

blockPhoto gallery by photo services

blockThe derailment occurred on the first day Amtrak trains began using the new inland route between the Washington cities of Tacoma and Olympia, part of a project to reduce travel time, according to an October news release from the state's transportation department.

blockThe rerouting takes trains along I-5, eliminating a major choke point for passenger trains in Tacoma and letting trains reach speeds of 79 miles per hour (127 km per hour), the department has said.

blockMonday's southbound train, which was scheduled to depart Seattle at 6 a.m. (1400 GMT) for Portland, was the first to run along the new route, which uses tracks owned by a local commuter line.

blockIt was not immediately clear whether the derailment, which came during a busy travel time one week before the Christmas holiday, was connected to the rerouting.

blockA statement from the state transportation department said the track had undergone "weeks of inspection and testing" before Monday's launch.

block'CARS EVERYWHERE'

blockA member of the train's crew told an emergency dispatcher that the train came around a corner before the bridge and then "we went on the ground," according to an audio recording posted by Broadcastify.com.

blockAfter the dispatcher asked whether everyone was OK, the crew member replied, "I am still figuring that out. We got cars everywhere and down onto the highway." The dispatcher also asked for the driver's location, and he responded, "As soon as I know exactly where all of my train is, I'll let you know."

blockThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was sending a team of investigators to the site. Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency due to "loss of life, injuries and damage to infrastructure."

blockU.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the crash "shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly." Trump has said he will unveil his long-delayed infrastructure proposal after Congress passes its tax bill.

blockThe rerouting project was budgeted at $180.7 million and was funded by the Federal Railroad Administration, according to Washington State's transportation department. The work was done by Sound Transit, which owns the track, and reviewed by the FRA, the department said on Monday.

blockInterstate 5 is the West Coast's major north-south highway, running between the U.S-Mexican border in San Diego, California, and the border with Canada in Washington.

blockThe mayor of one of the towns through which the rerouted trains travel warned earlier this month that the high-speed trains were dangerously close to cars and pedestrians.

block"Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens," Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson told transportation officials in early December, according to Seattle's KOMO News.

blockThe derailment was Amtrak's second in Washington state this year. On July 2, a southbound train with more than 250 people aboard derailed in the town of Steilacoom, just a few miles north of Monday's crash site. No serious injuries were reported.

blockIn May 2015, an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia, killing eight people and injuring more than 200. The NTSB concluded the driver became distracted by radio transmissions and lost track of where he was.

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