Amtrak 91 - CSX Collision Cayce, SC - 2/4/18

[StLouSteve]

So sad—two more names for the memorial sign at Washington Union Station plus the yard worker recently killed in Chicago—makes three Amtrak employees in 2018 so far.

How many were there in 2017?

[glennk419]

First off, condolences to the families of the two lost crew members and best wishes for all of the injured. It's been a rough couple months for Amtrak, despite the fact that all three accidents bear no similarity to each other.

The drone video that is imbedded in the NYT story is quite telling. The Amfleet car immediately ahead of the Viewliners that appeared to be jackknifed from ground level is actually split in half.

[NYCRRson]

Condolences to the families of all involved.

The front third of the Amtrak engine is gone..... First Amfleet car buckled...

"The Amfleet car immediately ahead of the Viewliners that appeared to be jackknifed from ground level is actually split in half."

I thought that at first, but I think it is two cars jacknifed to the side of the tracks and partially hidden by trees. Hard to tell ?

If that car folded in half like that and there were any passengers inside there would be many more casualties.

57 mph at impact, switch was about 500 ft from the freight train, crew of Amtrak had at most 10 seconds from recognizing the wrong switch position to impact.

[KevinD]

The GPS shows the train stopped at the station at 2:03 am, departing, and getting stopped again near north end of the yard for roughly 10 minutes (2:12 to 2:21 am) and was on the move again past the south end of the yard at 2:23 am

Efficiency test at 2 am?

Boarding or alighting deadheading CSX employees?

Waiting on a possibly hurried local to vacate the single track and clear into the yard?

[SouthernRailway]

Are the Viewliners repairable?

Not trying to beat up on Amtrak, but after Metro-North had a few incidents, there was a big push to improve its safety practices. Time for the same for Amtrak?

[Matt Johnson]

Are the Viewliners repairable?

It looks like the cafe car did in fact break in half, so you have to wonder what kind of compression forces the Viewliners were subjected to. I'd say it's questionable. The lead coach clearly buckled, and it's amazing to me that there weren't more fatalities. Prayers to the crew members who were lost and their families, and to the injured.

https://youtu.be/Fp36W9L741E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[8th Notch]

Are the Viewliners repairable?

Not trying to beat up on Amtrak, but after Metro-North had a few incidents, there was a big push to improve its safety practices. Time for the same for Amtrak?

How can you blame Amtrak here when we don’t know the cause?

[SST]

While I'm an airline kinda guy, I decided to take Amtrak from BUF to Penn Station in two weeks. Looking at this crash and the others recently, its making me a bit.....concerned. Looking at these pictures and drone videos, I think I will sit as far back as possible and facing rearward if possible. Hopefully, that if my train has a crash, the shock wave will have dissipated enough that I will only fly 3 rows instead of 5.

This is a sad looking crash. But then again, any crash is.

[bostontrainguy]

Hard to believe that the cafe car just folded in half like that but actually that is good news. At 2 AM that car was probably empty and therefore many more lives would have been lost if that was a coach. Got real lucky there as far as passenger casualties go.

The engine crew is another story. Horrible site. Looks like they didn't have a chance. Sincere condolences to their families.

[MCL1981]

The drone video is astounding. It blows my mind that this happened with modern day signalling. In fact, even not so modern day signalling. They figured out how to not put two trains on the same track decades ago.

[joshuahouse]

I love how many people in this thread have somehow decided that Amtrak must be at fault despite not controlling the infrastructure, the signaling or the dispatching here.

[Mackensen]

We don’t know the cause of the GOP Crash or this one yet. Amtrak has huge internal management issues now. If you mess up the first day of a new improved route as well as incidents across the board, it shows huge problems at Amtrak.

I'm not sure I follow your reasoning here. While the official cause of the GOP crash is yet to be determined, Amtrak's internal management is probably not responsible--in any way--for a grade crossing accident on CSX territory.

[MCL1981]

Can someone point this out on google maps, or describe the cross streets?

[Zanperk]

Drone footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp36W9L ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DanK]

I love how many people in this thread have somehow decided that Amtrak must be at fault despite not controlling the infrastructure, the signaling or the dispatching here.

I guess most people don't understand that it is CSX owned track and therefore the responsibility of CSX to maintain. The only rail line owned by Amtrak it between DC and Boston. Amtrak is only a guest on their rail lines. So if it was a signal or track issue, it would be CSX's fault.