Amtrak has operated most intercity passenger rail transportation in the United States since May 1, 1971. This list contains serious incidents – those with deaths or more than 20 injuries of passengers or railroad personnel – that have involved Amtrak trains. (It does not include most grade crossing accidents and trespasser strikes that did not cause significant injury aboard the trains.) All serious incidents involving Amtrak are investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); incidents with suspected criminal activity (notably a 1995 wreck in Arizona) are also investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The most number of fatalities in a single incident was 47 in the Big Bayou Canot crash in 1993, when the Sunset Limited fell off a bridge that had been struck by a barge eight minutes earlier. Five other incidents have caused ten or more deaths: a 1987 collision with freight locomotives in Maryland, a 1971 derailment in Illinois, a 1996 collision with a commuter train in Maryland, a 1999 grade crossing accident in Illinois, and a 1977 grade crossing accident in Florida. A 1990 derailment and collision with a commuter train in Massachusetts caused 453 injuries but no deaths.
| Date | Train | Location | Type of incident | Deaths | Injuries | Description | NTSB report or docket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 10, 1971 | City of New Orleans | Salem, Illinois | Derailment | 11 | 163 | The train derailed due to a seized axle. | RAR-72-5 |
| March 18, 1973 | Broadway Limited | East Palestine, Ohio | Derailment | 1 | 19[1] | ||
| May 30, 1974 | Floridian | Winamac, Indiana | Derailment | 0 | 29[2] | ||
| August 12, 1974 | Silver Star | Wake Forest, North Carolina | Derailment | 0 | 28[3][4] | ||
| October 1, 1975 | Floridian | Pulaski, Tennessee | Derailment | 0 | 31 | The train derailed due to spreading of the rail. | RAR-76-6 |
| November 19, 1975 | Turboliner | Elwood, Illinois | Grade crossing | 0 | 41 | The train was struck by a dump truck at a grade crossing. | RHR-76-2 |
| June 30, 1976 | Panama Limited | Goodman, Mississippi | Derailment | 1 | 51 | The train derailed due to track failure, caused by oscillation of the train from poor track quality. | |
| December 15, 1976 | Lone Star | Marland, Oklahoma | Grade crossing | 3 | 11 | The train struck a tanker truck at a grade crossing. | |
| December 16, 1976 | San Francisco Zephyr | Ralston, Nebraska | Derailment | 0 | 63 | The train derailed due to defective track. | RAR-77-8 |
| January 16, 1977 | Floridian | New Castle, Alabama | Derailment | 0 | 76 | The train derailed due to oscillations from defective track. | RAR-77-9 |
| October 2, 1977 | Floridian | Plant City, Florida | Grade crossing | 10 | 0 | The train struck a pickup truck at a grade crossing, killing all ten occupants of the truck. | RHR-78-2 |
| June 9, 1978 | Montrealer | Seabrook, Maryland | Train collision | 0 | 176 | A Conrail commuter train collided with the rear end of the Amtrak train. | RAR-79-3 |
| March 28, 1979 | Empire Builder | Lohman, Montana | Derailment | 0 | 48 | The train derailed due to a cracked wheel. | RAR-79-7 |
| April 20, 1979 | Metroliner | Edison, New Jersey | Equipment collision | 0 | 73 | The train struck track maintenance equipment. | RAR-79-10 |
| October 2, 1979 | Southwest Limited | Lawrence, Kansas | Derailment | 2 | 69 | The train derailed on a curve due to excessive speed. | RAR-80-4 |
| October 12, 1979 | Shawnee | Harvey, Illinois | Train collision | 6 | 44 | The train collided with a parked Illinois Central Gulf Railroad freight train. | RAR-80-3 |
| March 14, 1980 | Empire Builder | East Glacier Park, Montana | Derailment | 0 | 115 | The train derailed on a curve while leaving East Glacier Park station. | RAR-80-6 |
| April 2, 1980 | Silver Star | Lakeview, North Carolina | Train collision | 0 | 123 | The train collided head-on with a Seaboard Coast Line freight train. | RAR-80-8 |
| July 9, 1980 | Quaker City | Linden, New Jersey | Equipment collision | 1 | 17 | The train struck a rail protruding from a work train. | RAR-80-12 |
| November 7, 1980 | Empire State Express | Dobbs Ferry, New York | Train collision | 0 | 84 | A Conrail freight train collided with the Amtrak train. | RAR-81-04 |
| March 29, 1982 | Benjamin Franklin | Bristol, Pennsylvania | Train collision | 0 | 32 | A locomotive sent to rescue the disabled train collided with it. | RAR-82-05 |
| June 15, 1982 | San Francisco Zephyr | Emerson, Iowa | Derailment | 1 | 27 | The train derailed due to flooding of the tracks. | RAR-83-02 |
| June 23, 1982 | Coast Starlight | Gibson, California | Fire | 2 | 61 | A fire of unknown cause took place in a passenger car. | RAR-83-03 |
| April 3, 1983 | Crescent | Rockfish, Virginia | Derailment | 0 | 24 | The train derailed due to debris from a landslide. | RAR-83-10 |
| July 28, 1983 | State House | Wilmington, Illinois | Grade crossing | 0 | 21 | The train struck a delivery truck at the grade crossing. | RAR-84-02 |
| November 12, 1983 | Eagle | Woodlawn, Texas | Derailment | 4 | 72 | The train derailed due to a cracked rail. | RAR-85-01 |
| March 5, 1984 | Silver Star | Kittrell, North Carolina | Derailment | 0 | 52 | The train derailed due to a broken axle on a locomotive. | RAR-85-03 |
| May 29, 1984 | Capitol Limited | Connellsville, Pennsylvania | Derailment | 0 | 23 | The train derailed due to a collapsed culvert. | RAR-86-01-SUM |
| July 7, 1984 | Montrealer | Williston, Vermont | Derailment | 5 | 29 | The train derailed due to a collapsed culvert. | RAR-85-14 |
| July 11, 1984 | Silver Star | McBee, South Carolina | Grade crossing | 2 | 5 | The train struck a gasoline tanker at a grade crossing.[5] | |
| July 23, 1984 | Shoreliner New England Zip |
Queens, New York | Train collision | 1 | 140 | The two trains collided head-on on the Hell Gate Line viaduct. | RAB-85-07 RAR-85-09 |
| April 16, 1985 | California Zephyr | Granby, Colorado | Derailment | 0 | 32 | The train derailed due to debris from a landslide. | RAR-86-01-SUM |
| October 9, 1986 | Empire Builder | Fall River, Wisconsin | Derailment | 1 | 30 | The train derailed at a crossover due to an improperly designed signal system. | RAR-87-06 |
| January 4, 1987 | Colonial | Chase, Maryland | Train collision | 16 | 174 | The train collided with three Conrail locomotives that had failed to stop at a signal. | RAR-88-01 |
| October 12, 1987 | California Zephyr | Russell, Iowa | Train collision | 0 | 112 | The train collided with a work train due to an improperly set switch. | RAR-88-04 |
| January 29, 1988 | Night Owl | Chester, Pennsylvania | Equipment collision | 0 | 24 | The train struck track maintenance equipment. | RAR-89-01 |
| August 5, 1988 | Empire Builder | Saco, Montana | Derailment | 0 | 106 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-89-03 |
| September 28, 1989 | Crescent | Catlett, Virginia | Grade crossing | 3 | 81 | The train struck a fire engine at a grade crossing.[6] | |
| December 19, 1989 | San Joaquins | Stockton, California | Grade crossing | 3[7] | 50 | The train struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. | RHR-90-01 |
| April 23, 1990 | California Zephyr | Batavia, Iowa | Derailment | 0 | 86 | The train derailed due to improperly installed track. | RAR-91-05 |
| May 2, 1990 | Hoosier State | Crawfordsville, Indiana | Train collision | 0 | 30[8] | The train was mistakenly diverted onto a siding and collided with freight cars. | |
| May 3, 1990 | City of New Orleans | Durant, Mississippi | Grade crossing | 0 | 41[9] | The train struck a log truck at a grade crossing. | |
| December 12, 1990 | Night Owl | Boston, Massachusetts | Derailment Train collision |
0 | 453 | The train derailed due to excessive speed on a curve and collided with an MBTA Commuter Rail train at Back Bay station. | RAR-92-01 |
| July 31, 1991 | Silver Star | Lugoff, South Carolina | Derailment | 8 | 77 | The train derailed due to a set of switch points moving under the train. | RAR-93-02 |
| April 29, 1992 | Colonial | Newport News, Virginia | Grade crossing | 1 | 54 | The train struck a dump truck at a grade crossing.[10] | |
| August 12, 1992 | Colonial | Newport News, Virginia | Derailment | 0 | 74 | The train derailed due to a sabotaged switch.[11] | |
| September 22, 1993 | Sunset Limited | Mobile, Alabama | Derailment | 47 | 103 | The train struck a bridge that had been pushed out of alignment by a barge collision, fell into a river, and caught fire. | RAR-94-01 |
| May 16, 1994 | Silver Meteor | Selma, North Carolina | Train collision | 1 | 121 | The train collided with a trailer that was falling off a passing CSX freight train. | RAR-95-02 |
| August 3, 1994 | Lake Shore Limited | Batavia, New York | Derailment | 0 | 118 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-96-02 |
| October 9, 1995 | Sunset Limited | Palo Verde, Arizona | Derailment | 1 | 78 | The train derailed due to sabotage of the rails. | |
| February 16, 1996 | Capitol Limited | Silver Spring, Maryland | Train collision | 11 | 26 | The train collided with a MARC commuter train that had overrun a signal. | RAR-97-02 |
| November 23, 1996 | Fast Mail / Carolinian | Secaucus, New Jersey | Derailment | 0 | 43 | The Fast Mail derailed on the Portal Bridge, sideswiping the Carolinian. | SIR-97-01 |
| August 9, 1997 | Southwest Chief | Kingman, Arizona | Derailment | 0 | 183 | The train derailed due to a damaged bridge. | RAR-98-03 |
| December 20, 1998 | Texas Eagle | Arlington, Texas | Derailment | 0 | 22 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-01-02 |
| March 15, 1999 | City of New Orleans | Bourbonnais, Illinois | Grade crossing | 11 | 122 | The train struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. | RAR-02-01 |
| February 5, 2001 | Empire Service | Syracuse, New York | Train collision | 0 | 62 | The train collided with a CSX freight train. | RAR-01-04 |
| March 17, 2001 | California Zephyr | Nodaway, Iowa | Derailment | 1 | 77 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAB-02-01 |
| September 13, 2001 | California Zephyr | Salduro, Utah | Train collision | 0 | 24 | The train collided with a Union Pacific freight train. | |
| April 18, 2002 | Auto Train | Crescent City, Florida | Derailment | 4 | 142 | The train derailed due to a heat-induced kink in the track. | RAR-03-02 |
| July 29, 2002 | Capitol Limited | Kensington, Maryland | Derailment | 0 | 95 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAB-04-05 |
| April 1, 2003 | Pacific Surfliner | San Juan Capistrano, California | Employee collision | 2 | 0 | The train struck two track workers. | RAB-04-01 |
| May 6, 2003 | Silver Star | Hinesville, Georgia | Grade crossing | 2 | 27 | The train struck a lumber truck at a grade crossing.[12] | |
| April 6, 2004 | City of New Orleans | Flora, Mississippi | Derailment | 1 | 46 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-05-02 |
| April 3, 2005 | Empire Builder | Home Valley, Washington | Derailment | 0 | 30 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAB-06-03 |
| November 30, 2007 | Pere Marquette | Chicago, Illinois | Train collision | 0 | 74 | The train collided with a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train. | RAR-09-01 |
| March 13, 2008 | Acela | Providence, Rhode Island | Employee collision | 1 | 2 | The train struck two track workers. | RAB-09-04 |
| June 24, 2011 | California Zephyr | Fallon, Nevada | Grade crossing | 6[13] | The train was struck by a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. | ||
| October 29, 2014 | Empire Service | Clermont, New York | Employee collision | 1 | 0 | The train struck a track worker. | RAB-15-06 |
| March 9, 2015 | Carolinian | Halifax, North Carolina | Grade crossing | 0 | 74 | The train struck a truck with an oversize load at a grade crossing. | HQ-2015-1025 |
| May 12, 2015 | Northeast Regional | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Derailment | 8 | 185 | The train derailed due to excessive speed on a curve. | RAR-16-02 |
| March 14, 2016 | Southwest Chief | Cimarron, Kansas | Derailment | 0 | 28 | The train derailed due to track damage caused by an agricultural vehicle. | RAB-17-11 |
| April 3, 2016 | Palmetto | Chester, Pennsylvania | Equipment collision | 2 | 39 | The train struck a backhoe being used for track work. | RAR-17-02 |
| June 27, 2017 | Northeast Regional | Washington, D.C. | Employee collision | 2 | 0 | The train struck two CSX workers walking along their train. | RAB-19-01 |
| December 18, 2017 | Amtrak Cascades | DuPont, Washington | Derailment | 3 | 65 | The train derailed due to excessive speed on a curve. | RAR-19-01 |
| January 31, 2018 | Charter train | Crozet, Virginia | Grade crossing | 1 | 9 | The train struck a garbage truck at a grade crossing | HAB-19-03 |
| February 4, 2018 | Silver Star | Cayce, South Carolina | Train collision | 2 | 92 | The train collided with a stopped CSX freight train. | RAR-19-02 |
| September 25, 2021 | Empire Builder | Joplin, Montana | Derailment | 3[14] | 50 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RIR-23-08 |
| June 27, 2022 | Southwest Chief | Mendon, Missouri | Grade crossing | 4 | 150[15] | The train derailed after colliding with a dump truck obstructing a railroad crossing. | RIR-23-09 |
References
edit- ^ "Ohio Amtrak Wreck Kills One, Hurts 19". New York Times. March 19, 1973. p. 70.
- ^ "Amtrak Passenger Train Derails In Northern Indiana, 29 Injured". The Herald. May 1, 1974. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wake Forest Fire Department, Our History". Wake Forest Fire Department. Retrieved July 3, 2017..
- ^ "Amtrak Train Derails In North Carolina". Independent-Journal. August 13, 1974. p. 28.
- ^ "AMTRAK TRAIN HITS TRUCK CARRYING GAS; 2 ARE KILLED". New York Times. July 12, 1984. p. A12.
- ^ Henderson, Nell (September 30, 1989). "VIEW OF CROSSING OBSTRUCTED IN FATAL VA. TRAIN CRASH". Washington Post.
- ^ Shuit, Douglas P.; Malnic, Eric (December 20, 1989). "Stockton Train Crash Kills 3, Injures Dozens". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Andrews, Greg (May 5, 1990). "Train probe turns to freight crew". Journal and Courier. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Trains on track after crash". The Star-Herald. May 10, 1990. pp. 1, 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ellerton, Delbert (March 31, 1995). "Amtrak, Family Settle Over Fatal Collision". Daily Press. Newport News. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Bryan (December 21, 1993). "Man Gets 17 1/2-year Term In 1992 Amtrak Derailment". Daily Press. Newport News. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ "Engineer dies from injuries". The Savannah Morning News. Savannah, Georgia. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ "Investigators piece together Nevada Amtrak crash". Denver Post. June 27, 2011.
- ^ "Sheriff's office: At least 3 killed in Amtrak derailment". The Spokesman-Review. September 25, 2021.
- ^ Luczak, Marybeth (July 1, 2022). "NTSB Investigation of Amtrak Southwest Chief Derailment Under Way, BNSF Track Opens, Lawsuits Filed". Railway Age. Retrieved July 1, 2022.