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<p>The rush to launch service on a new, faster Amtrak route near Seattle came at a deadly cost — critical speed-control technology that could have prevented a derailment was not active before the train set off on its maiden voyage.</p>

The mayor of a city near the scene of Monday’s deadly train crash in Washington state warned earlier this month that the start of high-speed service was bound to end in disaster.During a Dec. 4 meeting of the Lakewood City Council, Mayor Don Anderson blasted plans by the Washington State Department of Transportation to let Amtrak trains travel through the city at up to 79 mph without first installing overpasses or other means of keeping motor vehicles and pedestrians away from the tracks.“Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or...

Audio: Mayor predicted people will 'get killed' on Amtrak route "It’s virtually inevitable that someone is going to get killed that wouldn’t be killed otherwise," Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson warned WSDOT about the new high-speed route. Author: Susannah Frame Published: 10:37 PM PST December 18, 2017 Two weeks before a high-speed Amtrak train derailed near DuPont, Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson warned the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) that the route could be deadly without additional safety precautions.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Many students are heading home for the holiday, and they were concerned given Monday's Amtrak derailment south of Seattle. "It's actually a little scary because my mom sent it to me and I am getting ready to go on the train," said Temple student Brandon Odems. "I think it's crazy and I really feel for those people and their families." Many couldn't help but think of the derailment of Amtrak train 188 here in Philadelphia just two and a half years ago. An attorney, who represented many of those victims, says he has a good guess as...

An Amtrak train that derailed Monday during its inaugural ride on a new line in Washington state was traveling at 80 mph in a 30 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board said, citing data recorder information. Bella Dinh-Zarr, an NTSB board member, said at a news conference late Monday that information from the data recorder in the rear locomotive provided information about the train’s speed. ------------- A track chart prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the maximum speed drops from 79 mph to 30 mph for passenger trains just before the tracks curve to cross Interstate...

Dan Konzelman was driving with his girlfriend southbound on Interstate 5, south of Tacoma, Washington, Monday morning when, to his astonishment, he saw an Amtrak train go off an overpass ahead of him and crash onto the busy freeway. While most of the stunned onlookers in nearby automobiles stayed in place, no doubt making 9-1-1 calls for help, Konzelman – an Eagle Scout – took a nearby exit and ran to the scene. He and his girlfriend, Alicia Hoverson, found that first-responders had not yet arrived. The two climbed into one of the train cars, noting only a few of...

DUPONT, Wash. — An Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle and killed at least three people was going 81 mph moments before it entered a curve where the recommended speed tops out at 30 mph, according to Amtrak and state transportation figures. The train's speed and the posted speed limit are likely to be key points for federal accident investigators, who are trying to determine why the train — on its inaugural run — flew off the rails and caused several rail cars to plunge off a bridge overpass and onto a traffic-clogged interstate.

The Amtrak train that derailed Monday morning on its inaugural trip through a faster railway route was supposed to slow dramatically before entering the curve where the crash occurred. The speed limit at the curve where the train crosses Interstate 5 is 30 miles per hour, said state transportation department spokeswoman Barbara LaBoe, while the speed limit on most of the track is 79 mph. She said speed-limit signs are posted two miles before the lowered speed zone and then just before the zone. “Engineers are trained to slow trains according to posted speeds,” she said. Daniel Konzelman, who was...

Mayor Don Anderson and other city officials in Lakewood, southwest of Tacoma, attended a meeting on Dec. 4 on the new project to upgrade tracks, KOMO News reported. Anderson believed it was a matter of time the high-speed train would be involved in a deadly accident.

Monday’s deadly Amtrak train derailment appears to have been caused by an object on the railway, according to a government official briefed on the crash. A preliminary investigation suggests maintenance problems are unlikely to blame because the incident took place on brand-new tracks, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. At least six people were killed and the death toll is expected to rise, the official said.

A high-speed Amtrak train derailed onto Interstate 5 between Tacoma and Olympia Monday. Casualties and injuries are reported. Drivers are being told to avoid the area and expect alternate routes to be backed up.

An Amtrak train derailed this morning off a bridge over I5 near Dupont, Washington. Details pending...

(KOMO) — PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 are closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord after an Amtrak train derailed and fell off an overpass onto the freeway. Some injuries have been reported. View image on Twitter View image on Twitter Chris Karnes 🌹 @TacomaTransit The train has derailed. Emergency crews are on the scene. Massive damage. People are hurt. 10:01 AM - Dec 18, 2017 24 24 Replies 119 119 Retweets 30 30 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Motorists are being warned to avoid the area. "I was just shocked," said Peter Zimmerman of...

The nearly $30-billion Gateway program to overhaul Northeast Corridor rail lines between Newark and New York City, an array of tunnels, bridges and viaduct over wetlands has two main thrusts: rehabilitation and expansion. These objectives are deeply intertwined—the project team must build new structures in the huge effort before it can upgrade old ones. That’s why digging two 1.4-mile, 28-ft-dia train tunnels under the Hudson River—an estimated $12.9-billion project component—isn’t just an expansion job but a lifeline to free a pair of 107-year-old tubes heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and in need of a rebuild. It’s also why...

Over 15 hours of railroad travel compressed down to 7 minutes. Footage from various trips, on various trains, going in various directions. Clearly, I don't fly.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published a final rule for a new pilot program that would seek competitive bids from "eligible petitioners" to replace Amtrak as the operator of up to three long-distance routes. The rules fall under a provision of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act that requires the FRA to implement the pilot program. Published in the Federal Register last month, the final rule takes effect Sept. 5 and establishes a petition, notification and bid process by which the FRA will evaluate and select bids to provide passenger-rail service over particular long-distance routes. The rule also...

A 13-year-old girl walking on the bridge at Bull Run between Clifton and Manassas was struck and killed by a VRE train Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy Chopper4/NBC Washington) WASHINGTON — Fairfax County police say a 13-year-old girl has died after she was hit by a Virginia Railway Express train on its Manassas Line Wednesday afternoon. The teen, whose name has not yet been released, was hit by a VRE train between mile marker 28 and 29 near Clifton, Virginia, around 3 p.m. Police said the girl had been hiking with two family members: a 13-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man. The...

Amtrak has named Richard Anderson, the former chief executive of Delta and Northwest airlines, as its new president and CEO. The announcement comes less than a year into the tenure Charles W. “Wick” Moorman, who took over as the passenger railroad’s chief executive in September 2016. Anderson, 62, does not have railroad experience, but does have decades of experience in the airline industry. He served most recently as executive chairman of the Delta Air Lines board of directors after serving as the airline’s CEO from 2007 to 2016. He also was executive vice president at United Healthcare from 2004 to...

Truckers entering New York City by bridges and tunnels operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will receive a 50 percent discount on tolls during overnight hours this summer. From July 10 and Sept. 1, trucks will receive the discount between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. at the Henry Hudson Bridge, Whitestone Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge, RFK Triborough Bridge, Queens Midtown Tunnel, Hugh L. Carey Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge. The move is part of an effort to alleviate “the near-term summer crisis,” MTA said in...

In a letter to Trump dated May 21, Cuomo requested “the federal government treat this as an emergency situation” and asked Trump to provide funding for construction and transportation alternatives, as well as for a long-term solution.