A 54-year-old woman was killed Jan. 21 in Pickens County, S.C, when her 1997 Ford Escort was struck by the northbound Crescent Amtrak passenger train, the Anderson Independent-Mail newspaper reported. It appears the woman panicked when she realized she was stopped on the tracks, but was unable to move her car, according to the newspaper’s report.
A Jan. 20 derailment at Union Station in Washington snarled rail traffic for hours. Two cars from train No. 132 derailed at the northern end of the station, an Amtrak spokesman told Reuters news agency. No one was hurt. Dozens of other trains into Union Station were either delayed or canceled. Worn out switches were blamed for the derailment, according to WTOP radio.
A Milford, Conn., man was killed Jan. 17 when he was struck by an Amtrak train. It is unclear whether the man fell from a platform of if he jumped in front of the train. Service was disrupted for about an hour-and-a-half, authorities said.
Six people were injured Jan. 11 when an Amtrak train crashed into a boulder blocking the tracks near Mack, Colo., The Associated Press reported. Three engines and at least three cars, possibly five, derailed on the train, which was heading from Chicago to Oakland, Calif.
Though not a wreck, a fire in New York City’s subway led to the closure of two tunnels. A signal room was also destroyed, Newsday newspaper reported. Some reports indicated a fire started by a homeless person to keep warm was to blame. However, authorities said the exact cause of the blaze was undetermined.
