281 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

FYI:  WTXF, FOX-29 in Philly, for those who can reach it, seems to be running consistently overnight with updates.  They did send a reporter at 3:30 AM to 30th Street Station to illustrate how quiet the Amtrak waiting room is.  Chances are that at 3:30 AM it was not much quieter than it would be on any given night at that time.  She also pointed out the cancellations on the Solari Board, but when I examined it, it had the first few trains of the day and were marked as On Time.

[CNJRoss]

NTSB news release, 5/13 12;30 am:

 

 

NTSB Investigates Train Derailment in Philadelphia

 

 

May 13, 2015

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a go-team to investigate an Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia, Pa.

NTSB investigator Mike Flanigon is leading the team as investigator-in-charge. NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt is accompanying the team and will serve as the principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

Public Affairs Officer Peter Knudson will also be on-scene in Philadelphia to coordinate media-related activities. He can be reached at peter.knudson@ntsb.gov or by mobile phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx. The team will arrive in Philadelphia later this morning.

 

 

[CNJRoss]

WTOP radio, 5/13:
 

 

At least 6 die in Phila. derailment of Amtrak train from D.C.

 

Investigators are headed to the site of the crash of Train 188, a Northeast Regional with about 240 people aboard, which left Washington Tuesday night headed for New York and crashed in Philadelphia. At least six people have died; more than 100 are hurt, at least eight critically. Service between N.Y. and Philadelphia is suspended. Follow the latest in WTOP's live blog,

 

 

 

WTOP Live Blog:

 

Amtrak train traveling from D.C. derails in Philadelphia Live

Updated at 7:37 a.m. -- 5/13/15

 

WASHINGTON -- An Amtrak train headed to New York City derailed and crashed in Philadelphia late Tuesday night. CBS News says that at least six people have died; at least eight others are in critical condition. 

 

At least 65 people have been taken to hospitals to get checked out, the Associated Press reports. The extent of their injuries is currently unknown, and Nutter says not everyone who was on the train has been accounted for at this time.

 

Dr. Herb Cushing, the chief medical officer at Temple University Hospital, says his hospital received 54 patients, including one who died after arriving. Twenty-five were treated and released; eight people are still in critical condition.

 

[CNJRoss]

CNN 5/13:
 

'Absolute disastrous mess': 6 dead, 146 injured after Amtrak train derails

 

Updated 7:46 AM ET, Wed May 13, 2015

 

Latest developments

• A sixth person has died as a result of the Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia, a doctor at Temple University Hospital said Wednesday morning.

• Eight passengers remain in critical condition at Temple.

• Many passengers were injured when other passengers and objects flew into them, a hospital official said.

 

Full story

 

As day broke in Philadelphia on Wednesday morning, rescue workers were still searching inside the mangled wreckage of an Amtrak train that derailed the night before, killing at least six people and sending another 146 to various hospitals.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

MARC Service Alert:

 

5/12 11:00 pm
 

Amt 151/181 will prob not operate Wed AM, check www.amtrak.com for status updates…

 

Amtrak Trains 151 and 181 will likely not operate on Wednesday morning.  These trains honor MARC weekly and monthly passes from Perryville, Aberdeen, and Edgewood south to Baltimore and Washington.  Passengers should plan on riding MARC Trains 517 or 523.  Check www.amtrak.com for further status updates.

 

MARC Penn Line service will operate as scheduled on Wednesday.

 

Updates regarding Amtrak 151 and 181 will be provided as information becomes available; any updates will be posted by 5:00am.

 

 

 

5/12 11:21 pm
 

MARC Penn Line service will operate as scheduled Wed, unaffected by Amtrak derailment in Philly

 

MARC Penn Line service will operate as scheduled Wednesday morning and will not be affected by the Amtrak derailment Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

 

We ask that MARC passengers take a moment of reflection in his or her own way to wish for the speedy recovery of those involved in the Amtrak derailment tonight in Philadelphia.

 

 

5/13 5:29 am
 

Reminder- Amtrak trains 151 &181 canceled today due to last night's Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia.

 

Reminder- Amtrak trains 151 and 181 are canceled for today due to last night's Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia. Passengers are advised to use MARC trains 517 and 523. Updates will follow as more information is made available.

 

 

[KevinKorell]

One point of speculation being discussed is that a Trenton-bound SEPTA train 5 minutes before the Amtrak derailment had some projectile break the window of thee engineer's cab.  Nobody was injured from that incident, but the train was stopped at the North Philadelphia station for investigation and offloading passengers.  That train was then annulled when the Amtrak incident occurred.  Police are all over a pedestrian bridge over the tracks where the projectile apparently hit the SEPTA train.  At some point the Amtrak train may have passed the SEPTA train, so while the events may be totally separate, there is some concern the projectile that hit SEPTA could have come off the Amtrak train.

[KevinKorell]

NJ TRANSIT update:

 

The Atlantic City Rail Line is suspended between 30th Street in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill due to Amtrak's derailment. Busing is being provided. NJT is cross honoring Amtrak tickets on NJT Rail, NJT Southern Division buses and the River Line. Please allow for additional travel time.

[Sloan]

 

 

Why Amtrak trains derail

 

“Most derailments are relatively benign, and can be compared to a person walking down the street, tripping, getting back up, and continuing on her or his way,” University of North Dakota mechanical engineering professor George Bibel wrote in “Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters” in 2012. “… Yet derailments have been responsible for some of the greatest train wrecks ever.”

http://www.washingto...-trains-derail/

[KevinKorell]

From 10 AM press conference:

 

Preliminary information - no speculation

NTSB is on ground

Amtrak personnel on site

6 deceased

Robert Sumwalt NTSB board member

Data recorder is in Wilmington, DE for analysis

Forward-facing camera in engine also being examined

Over 200 people treated  in area hospitals

Board chairman Anthony Coscia of Amtrak spoke

More updates this afternoon

[CNJRoss]

USDOT, 5/13;

 

On the May 12 derailment of Amtrak 188

 

 

 

 

Last night around 9:30 p.m., Amtrak train #188 bound from Washington, DC, to New York City derailed in Philadelphia.  At least six people have been reported dead, and many others were injured.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board has investigators on the scene, and NTSB is leading the accident investigation.

 

Secretary Foxx was alerted immediately after the derailment occurred and vowed "to work with NTSB to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of this devastating event.”

 

The Federal Railroad Administration has dispatched at least eight investigators to support the NTSB, and Acting FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg is on the ground in Philadelphia.  Acting Administrator Feinberg said last night, "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and injured in this accident.  We are assembling on site and will begin a thorough investigation into the cause of this accident."

 

Full Statement of Secretary Foxx on Amtrak 188: “A tragic accident occurred tonight.  While there is still much we don’t know, we at the U.S. Department of Transportation are deeply saddened by reports of multiple fatalities and injuries.  Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims' families.  We urge the public to allow time for first responders to do their critical work.  DOT officials are already onsite, and we will work with NTSB to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of this devastating event.”