Economy

Could Amtrak catastrophe happen here? It almost did, leaving some riders scared and angry

BY TONY BIZJAK
tbizjak@sacbee.com

DECEMBER 26, 2017 03:55 AM

UPDATED DECEMBER 26, 2017 02:17 PM

Could last Monday’s Amtrak train crash in Washington happen here? It nearly did, a year ago this month.

The spectacular crash near Olympia this week that left at least three dead and dozens injured is eerily reminiscent of a dramatic near derailment outside Davis last December that injured five people, prompted Amtrak to discipline several employees and caused passengers and local officials to criticize Amtrak for lack of transparency about safety procedures.

In that case, an apparently distracted Amtrak engineer allowed a Capitol Corridor service train to run through a track switch at nearly double the allowable speed – 78 mph in a 40 mph zone – causing the train cars to lurch violently back and forth, sending people, coffees and laptops flying. A crew member told passengers she thought the train was going to “eat dirt.” Passengers said the train tilted so steeply they could see the ground outside the window rushing at them.

Federal investigators this week said the Cascades passenger train in Washington also was going too fast, 80 miles per hour on a 30 mph curve, sending train cars tumbling onto a freeway. Officials said they are looking into whether the engineer was distracted.
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Tony Bizjak: 916-321-1059, @TonyBizjak