Train 58 derailed in Mississippi - April 6, 2004

The track in question belongs to CN. It is the former IC Yazoo District. In 1995, Amtrak had to re-route 58 and 59 from the Grenada District, which had been the main line, when IC decided to consolidate all through traffic on the parallel Yazoo District. Both run between Jackson, MS and Memphis, TN.

When I rode 59 in October 1995, the Yazoo District had just been rebuilt with welded rail and re-signaled with brand new CTC (I think it was previously ABS). It was a smooth, although curvy, ride.

But now it's 9 years later. I wonder how much maintenance has been performed in the intervening years?

hsr_fan wrote:Someone photographed this train hours before the derailment...

Now that's somewhat scary.

On my recent Feb 25 trip NOL-CHI, it certainly appeared, i.e. felt, that IC track was in better shape than any of CSX I rode over elsewhere on that same trip.

I was on 58 2 months ago through that area and my god that was some rough track i don't know how we stayed on the track.But then again this is typical CN track rough they don't do any mantainence on there tracks unless they have to.

BNSF 1088 wrote:I was on 58 2 months ago through that area and my god that was some rough track i don't know how we stayed on the track.But then again this is typical CN track rough they don't do any mantainence on there tracks unless they have to.

So, great. This was a preventable accident. Maybe this will push the freight railroads to take better care of their tracks. Or at least push the government to push them.

The train derailed on tracks owned, operated and maintained by Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway, Amtrak said.

Owned by CN/IC? Yes.
Operated? Yes.
Maintained? Not so sure. Time will tell.

BNSF 1088 wrote:But then again this is typical CN track rough they don't do any mantainence on there tracks unless they have to.

That sounds more like CSX than CN...

I'm afraid to say that it sounds like every freight railroad in this country, with the possible exception of BNSF. They all seem to have decided that they save more money by not maintaining their ROW than they lose in derailments. Perhaps the death of an Amtrak passenger, while tragic, will have some good effect in that it will move the government to end the freight RRs callous disregard for human life and for their contractual responsibilities.

Well, I have seen an increasing number of freight RR photos such as this one, showing straight, welded rail on concrete ties and new ballast:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=53724

PennsyFan wrote:Perhaps the death of an Amtrak passenger, while tragic, will have some good effect in that it will move the government to end the freight RRs callous disregard for human life and for their contractual responsibilities.

It never seems to have had that effect before. More likely it will cause them to say that these trains shouldn't be running anymore in the first place.

God forbid that we should have an attack on a passenger train - I have a feeling that the cry of "not letting the terrorists win" would not be heard. Rather, the powers that be would say "we just can't afford the risk of these trains anymore"

updrumcorpsguy wrote:

PennsyFan wrote:Perhaps the death of an Amtrak passenger, while tragic, will have some good effect in that it will move the government to end the freight RRs callous disregard for human life and for their contractual responsibilities.

It never seems to have had that effect before. More likely it will cause them to say that these trains shouldn't be running anymore in the first place.

God forbid that we should have an attack on a passenger train - I have a feeling that the cry of "not letting the terrorists win" would not be heard. Rather, the powers that be would say "we just can't afford the risk of these trains anymore"

Believe it or not, freight derailments are a potentially far greater risk than carriage of passengers. In a worst-case passenger scenario, a derailment, head-on or terrorist bombing would possibly claim 100 or so lives (Amtrak's worst accident, the Sunset Ltd. derailment at Bayou Canout in 1993 took less than 50.) But if a freight carrying the wrong substance in the wrong location derails, heaven help us. A tank car hauling poisonous gas that ruptures in an urban area could result in a mini-Bhopal.

While I think the chances of such an occurrence are remote, I bring them up to remind everyone that the argument that passenger trains are an unsafe mode of transportation, even in this error of CEOs skimping on maintenance to bolster their stock options, is a bogus one.

News flash: We make policy and spend money all the time on the basis of "bogus" arguments. All the time. (3 words: Amtrak "Reform" Council.) To recognize the unsoundness of an argument is merely the first step. The truth needs a little help.

Fresh news:

FLORA, Miss. (AP)--Investigators examined twisted track and overturned passenger cars Wednesday to figure out why an Amtrak train derailed over a swamp, killing one person and injuring nearly 60 others.
The nine-car City of New Orleans, en route to Chicago, jumped the tracks Tuesday night near Flora. Its cars tumbled five or six feet off a trestle about 25 miles north of Jackson.
National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Mark Rosenker wouldn't speculate on the cause but said the FBI had examined the scene and found no reason to believe it was anything but an accident.
The area has a history of derailments, and passenger Iris Giorgi said she heard a conductor say, "This is the worst part of the track" as the wheels screeched and the passengers cars rattled. Minutes later, Giorgi, a nurse from Glendora, Calif., was helping to tend the injured.
Four freight trains have crashed on the five-mile stretch near Flora since 1994. One, in 1997, was carrying hazardous chemicals, and 4,000 residents had to be evacuated.
NTSB investigators planned to collect blood and urine samples from the engineer and crew to test for drugs and alcohol.
Most of the injured were treated and released. One remained hospitalized in critical condition.
It was Amtrak's first passenger death since 2002, when an Auto Train derailed at Crescent City, Fla., killing four passengers and injuring more than 150 people.
On the Net:
Amtrak: http://www.amtrak.com/trains/cityofneworleans.html

Did any trains pass over that track before amtrak.

I'm sure the question of fault will be determined by the NTSB and Plaintiff's lawyers (some of whom are probably swarmign on this like ants) so as several have said it's not the time to speculate until all the facts are out. It will however, be interesting to see what the reports have to say when they are made public.