Posted on 12/18/2017 8:44:10 AM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
(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 Olympia. "I couldn't believe it. It was like something out of a movie." State transportation officials say the train derailed near Mounts Road. View image on TwitterView image on Twitter
Danae Orlob @naenae007 @komonews 9:55 AM - Dec 18, 2017 12 12 Replies 9 9 Retweets 4 4 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy
View image on Twitter View image on Twitter
WSDOT Tacoma Traffic ✔ @wsdot_tacoma All SB lanes of I-5 blocked near Mounts Road in Pierce County due to derailed train car. Avoid area! 9:45 AM - Dec 18, 2017 33 33 Replies 470 470 Retweets 118 118 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Amtrak officials said the train was the No. 501, which operates between Seattle and Portland. The train had just begun using a new high-speed route Monday morning. Lakewood city oficials had earlier expressed fears that the new route would cause serious accidents.
Amtrak service south of Seattle is temporarily suspended. Service from Seattle to points north and east is continuing to operate.
On Google Maps, it looks like the railway line makes a bend as it passes over highway I-5. Was the track in the condition to handle the higher speed on the bend?
https://goo.gl/maps/NbdRtsxPwdm
Ooops.
Very close to my house. I’m not surprised at this, the work was sloppy. They’ve worked for a year to build this new line, today was the first high speed day.
A rr crossing by my house had all the lights up, booms, everything but didn’t work. Trains would pass through and nada...
we should be looking closely at how Japan Rail operates its high speed trains. their trains are fast safe and on time.
I wonder if amtrak did a test run. JR uses an instrumented
“yellow train” to test rail alignment and train car stability and regularly examine closely the wheels and bogies of their trains. if this had happened in Japan it is not outside the realm of possibility that there would be suicides among the staff responsible due to unbearable shame and remorse.
I think is worse.
The car on I-5 under the bridge is upside down...
I-5 South will be closed for a while.
Graffiti. I know that overpass well.
CONFIRMED: 70 people were on board when this train derailed @KIRO7Seattle
There are homeless people all up and down this rail line. The line is literally a homeless camp. We have so many drug addicted homeless people crawling up and down i5 and this rail line it’s down right creepy, like the walking dead.
They’re setting up different colored tents indicating different levels of injuries.
Fortunate that it was the southbound side, going away from JBLM and Seattle.
Live CBSN news stream:
https://www.cbsnews.com/cbsn
Oh man.
Looks like a box girder bridge from the photo I saw.
It depends on who else uses the track. If they share with freight rail, the rails can easily handle a light commuter train at 80mph.
If it’s old track that hasn’t been upgraded, or short line track, I wouldn’t run any passenger trains on at all.
How is this not in breaking news?
This one is all steel. However, there is a wood trestle about 200 yards north of where this derailment took place
Is that gang tagging on the bridge?
Makes me think kids tinkering in the vicinity of the accident.
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