Amtrak On-Time Performance (OTP) Delays Reroutes Annulled

While everyone was paying attention to this accident, two more fatalities occurred.


Train fatally strikes person near Union Station in Hartford

Allow a brief "fair use" quote:

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Hartford Police and Amtrak Police are investigating after a person was fatally struck by a train in the Capitol City on Wednesday afternoon.

Amtrak Police say at around 3:35 p.m., train 55, which was traveling from Vermont to Washington, D.C. struck a person on the tracks just before Union Station in Hartford.

Trains 55, 475 and 175 were impacted. Click on the link for pictures.


Additionally, there is the equally devastating incident:

13-year-old girl struck and killed by train in Fairfax County

Apparently, she was hiking through the woods with her 22 year old brother and her 13 year old cousin when they decided to cross the Bull Run bridge.

Allow a brief "fair use" quote:

A source told FOX 5’s Lauren DeMarco that the girl's 22-year-old brother ran to her and her 13-year-old cousin as the train was approaching. The brother and the cousin were able to jump across the large gap to the opposite tracks.

However, it's a long way down to the water below and the 13-year-old girl was too scared to jump and she started running instead. The train operator saw her and slowed but there wasn't enough time and she was struck.

The link has pictures of the bridge (that gap between the tracks does look intimidating), the train and a video (which I didn't watch.) The tracks were closed for almost four hours, impacting numerous VREs, 171(28), 19(28) and 50(27).

I wonder if they will attempt to hold the 22 year old brother responsible for this. It may be safer for him to go to prison than deal with the wrath of their parents.

Just.observed #4 (27) at least 150ML. These heat restrictions are taking their toll.

But they should make the major connections OK.

Believe you just saw #4(26),was 6+ hours late into Chicago.(from the dixieland archive file)
#4 (27) just departed Kansas City around 6:10p running 9+ hours late(from dixieland archive,"Service Disruption" near Topeka,time line from
http://asm.transtdocs.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; site)

Vermonter service busing between Springfield MA and St. Albans VT until
further notice after track stability failure at North Hartford VT. (WRJ)
From WCAX TV/
http://www.wcax.com/story/35797847/verm ... ck-damaged" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What happened to 49 (01) that it's 10+ hours late into Chi?

Was held in Utica 3 hrs for high water to the west and encountered more high water west of Sandusky that required a detour over the NKP thru Bellevue. Am not sure how and when it got onto the NKP.
Andy

Wonder how many recrewings, refuelings and reprovisionings were required for that trip. Imagine the restrooms were less than tidy as well.

Got word from MARC that Amtrak is doing work around Penn Station that requires MARC to trim service down on the weekends starting the weekend after next (the 15th-16th and 22nd-23rd). That means running a Sunday schedule on Saturday, a special express bus, and two trains bus-bridged at West Baltimore. (Yes, the BaltimoreLink effort put a bus loop at West Baltimore)

Anyone know if they're mucking with some work in the B&P as well as on the CHARLES switch? They say that it will be single track through the station.

justalurker66 wrote:

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Funny how the same outlet reported the victims were trespassers, but later changed their reporting to "CSX employees".

Considering the constant rants on this and other railroad discussion sites asking the media to call the people hit in these incidents "trespassers" I can understand why the original "pedestrian strike" would be published as trespasser strike. The initial reports made before who was hit was determined could have easily called them trespassers.

It is unfortunate when anyone gets killed on a ROW. With this incident - multiple fatalities plus an injury and multiple railroads involved I am not surprised releasing the scene took a while. Darkness also does not speed investigation. It is unfortunate that the trains got delayed ... but the deaths are worse that a messed up morning commute.

Well said. While we focus on the impact on T&E crew and operational effects, there are real people and families involved. People make mistakes in judgement every day; most we survive, some we don't.

29 has been late leaving WAS the past couple days. Any ideas? Crew or equipment shortages??

ohioriverrailway wrote:29 has been late leaving WAS the past couple days. Any ideas? Crew or equipment shortages??

This is usually issues with CSX trains on their line. I don't have my ears on the relevant lines (read: subscribed to Camden/Brunswick MARC train alerts), but I would bet even money that they had a train with hazardous materials ether break down or trip a defect detector at the worst time.

What happened to CL train 29 that left DC 7/8? It was almost 9 hours late at Pittsburgh. 8:30 am arrival in Pittsburgh when it should have been almost to Chicago.

Then it was annulled. And 30 was held in PGH.....leaving shortly after 29 arrived. Problems with weather or derailment, or ??????

Mr. Deasy reports at the "Unique..." Forum:

jhdeasy wrote:
Mr. Winters' five private cars are on the rear of train 29(08) from WAS to CHI. They were about an hour late passing Takoma Park MD, less than 10 miles out of Washington Union Station.

I suspect they are on the way to their summer holiday on Montana Rail Link.

Now Mr. Ohio River reports that train has been annulled.

Unless one of those PV cars was the source, I'd think there is a "mite bit" of from the owners.

Some side-swapping action between GROVE and BRIDGE on the NEC starts tomorrow for DC-bound rush commuters. Track 3 is OOS between July 10th to Sept 1st. MARC trains going to DC in the morning rush will be served on track 1 and will switch back to track 3 at GROVE, expecting some delays (but not as bad as last time).

I'm assuming northbound MARCs will swap sides with the southbounds and Amtraks will also swap sides... but I haven't seen any notices for BWI.