Economy

Train derailments like the Montana incident are rare, but other railroad-related deaths are on the rise

Transportation

Train derailments like the Montana incident are rare, but other railroad-related deaths are on the rise

Over the past decade, three Amtrak derailments have resulted in 14 passenger deaths, including last Saturday’s crash in Montana

By Luz Lazo
Yesterday at 5:05 p.m. EDT

It’s been a week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Federal investigators are working to determine what caused the derailment, which halted freight and passenger service for days. ... Images showing train cars decoupled as others landed on their side raised a question for unsettled travelers: How often does this happen?

According to experts and federal rail incident data, such occurrences — already rare — are becoming even less frequent. ... “Derailments that involve passenger injuries or fatalities are extremely rare,” said Allan Zarembski, director of the Railroad Engineering and Safety Program at the University of Delaware. “But does the very rare one happen? Yes. But again, it’s a very, very low probability event.”

Industry-wide, derailments themselves aren’t uncommon, but most don’t result in injuries. Amtrak derailments make up about 2 percent of all train derailment involving major railroads across country — a small share partly because the passenger operation accounts for a fraction of train traffic nationwide. ... In the last decade, Amtrak has averaged 24 derailments annually, according to data reported to the Federal Railroad Administration. That number is down from about 43 derailments that occurred annually over the previous decade.

The vast majority cause no injury or death, according to the FRA’s Office of Safety Analysis. Most are the result of track, mechanical or human factors, such as improperly lined switches, track problems, speeding and issues related to snow, ice or mud on tracks. ... In his book “Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters,” University of North Dakota mechanical engineering professor George Bibel describes most derailments as “relatively benign, and can be compared to a person walking down the street, tripping, getting back up, and continuing on her or his way.”

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[NTSB urges railroads to boost safety measures for workers on the rails]

Other incidents, including crashes in work zones and those involving railroad workers, also have drawn attention. The NTSB this week urged railroads to boost safety measures for rail workers. The agency investigated eight accidents involving railroad and transit worker fatalities last year.

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By Luz Lazo
Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Twitter https://twitter.com/luzcita