Amtrak Acela Train Bound for New York City and Boston Comes Apart at 125 mph
An Amtrak Acela train
Train cars on a New York- and Boston-bound high-speed Amtrak Acela train separated early Tuesday shortly after leaving Washington’s Union Station while the train was underway.
No injuries were reported in the accident, which took place in Maryland near Havre de Grace at 6:40 a.m. The 52 passengers on board Acela Express train 2150 were transferred to an Amtrak Northeast Regional train. The Acela train was reportedly traveling at 125 mph (201 km/h).
Photos posted on social media show the connector between two coupled carriages broken and separated.
Amtrak said it is investigating the cause of the separation and inspecting other Acela trains.
The incident came two days after another Amtrak train struck a freight train in South Carolina, killing two Amtrak employees and sending 116 people to hospital. Last week a chartered Amtrak train, this one carrying Republican congressmen to a retreat at the Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia, collided with a garbage truck en route.
In December, an Amtrak Cascades passenger train derailed near DuPont, Washington, on its inaugural run, killing three passengers and injuring 62. The train was reportedly traveling at nearly 50 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
On Sunday, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson reminded employees in a company-wide memo of the importance of safety in the railroad’s operation.
“These incidents remind us that the safety of our operations is always our first priority, above all other objectives at Amtrak,” said Anderson, who previously served as the CEO of Delta Air Lines. “Please know that each of us has the fundamental right to stop the operation, slow the operation or cancel the operation when we face a safety issue.”
Amtrak’s high-speed Acela service connects Boston with Washington, D.C. making 14 intermediate stops including New York City and Philadelphia. Acela trains attain 150 mph (240 km/h) on portions of the route and are the fastest trains in the United States.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
