Fatalities reported after Amtrak train plunges off bridge onto I-5

[admin]

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - A southbound Amtrak train plunged off a bridge onto Interstate 5 south of Tacoma Monday morning, killing an unknown number of people and injuring others.

All SB lanes of I-5 blocked near Mounts Road in Pierce County due to derailed train car. Avoid area! pic.twitter.com/SBH7dCc6yg

— WSDOT Tacoma Traffic (@wsdot_tacoma) December 18, 2017

[admin]

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - A southbound Amtrak train plunged off a bridge onto Interstate 5 south of Tacoma Monday morning, killing an unknown number of people and injuring others.

"We have fatalities and casualties," said Detective Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. "This is a regional mass casualty response."

All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 are closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
 

[admin]

Get this....

This was the 1st day of a new high speed route opened.... (it obviously didn't go well)

New Amtrak Cascades Tacoma Dome Station to be dedicated Dec. 15; station opens to travelers Dec. 18 
WSDOT will dedicate the new Tacoma Dome Station in Freighthouse Square at 2 p.m., Friday, Dec. 15, with a ribbon cutting, speeches and celebration. The station opens to travelers on Monday, Dec. 18 when Amtrak Cascades trains begin using the Point Defiance Bypass route in and out of South Tacoma. Visitors during the ribbon cutting will get a sneak peek inside the station and will also see one of the new locomotives outside the station and a large historical interpretive display inside the station walkway. They'll also learn about Sound Transit's Tacoma Trestle project at the far end of the newly completed second platform.

Start date announced for service expansion; use of Point Defiance Bypass route
Amtrak Cascades' new service schedule will start Dec. 18, which is also the start of the trains running on the Point Defiance Bypass route and the opening of the new Tacoma Dome Station in Freighthouse Square. The new schedule adds two more daily roundtrips between Seattle and Portland, cuts travel time and improves on-time reliability. It also marks the end of the nearly $800 million Cascades High-Speed Rail Capital Program.

Watch time-lapse photos  or a time-lapse-video of the new station construction at Freighthouse Square.

[admin]

@Marra McDonald Johnson

The End Result
The end result is more frequent, more reliable, and faster Amtrak Cascades service.

The improvements will allow passenger trains to use the bypass route without being delayed by freight or Sounder trains. After the completion of other capital rail projects, two additional daily round trip passenger trains could be added. Freight train traffic will not increase on this line beyond the minimal amount that utilizes it today.

When completed, the Point Defiance Rail Bypass project will bring a total of six daily round trip Amtrak Cascades trains and one Coast Starlight train through Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont intersections, with an average crossing time of 45 seconds per intersection and a maximum speed of 79 mph. 

Project Benefits

• Improved Amtrak Cascades reliability.
• Faster, more frequent Amtrak Cascades service.

What is the project timeline?
The environmental and design process began in July 2006, and was completed in 2008.
The new line opens to service on Dec. 18, 2017.

https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Rail/PNWRC_PtDefiance/default.htm

[Marra McDonald Johnson]

11 minutes ago, admin said:

What went wrong with the improvements?  Did the production timeline pressure sacrifice safety concerns?  Was there adequate testing of the track without passengers?  Was this preventable?  

@Marra McDonald Johnson

The End Result
The end result is more frequent, more reliable, and faster Amtrak Cascades service.

The improvements

 

 

[admin]

6 people on the train were killed, according to The Tacoma News Tribune 

At least 70 people were sent to St Joseph Hospital

20 people were sent to the Madigan Army Medical Center emergency center

The train hit cars; people were injured on the roadway, but no motorists were killed. 

All lanes are blocked in the heavily-traveled area near Joint Base Lewis-McChord

The train that overturned is a new Amtrak train. It provides service from Seattle to Portland 

It's unclear what caused the derailment 

Amtrak train 501 derailed near Lacey

The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2017

[admin]

Derailed train was going too fast

 An investigation is still ongoing (it will take 7-10 days), although the National Transportation Safety Board was able to determine that the train was traveling 80 mph in a 30 mph zone. All of the train’s 12 coaches derailed during the crash, with some dangling perilously from the overpass, reports The New York Times. Cranes were being brought to the site about 40 miles north of Seattle. Amtrak train 501, which departed Tacoma around 8 am, was carrying 78 passengers and five crew.