RailNews

Amtrak train collides with CSX freight in South Carolina, two killed, dozens injured

Amtrak Train 91, the Miami-bound Silver Star, collided with a CSX freight train near Cayce, S.C., around 2:45 a.m., killing two and injuring more than 100, according to multiple reports. The Amtrak train carried 8 crew and 139 passengers. “So the 70 injuries range, obviously, in variety. We have anything from small scratches and bumps to more severe broken bones,” Lexington County spokesperson Harrison Cahill said. More than 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the CSX locomotives, but posed no threat to area residents. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched an investigation team to the site, cooperating with Amtrak, CSX, local and federal authorities.

“We are cooperating fully with the NTSB, which is leading the investigation, as well as working with FRA and CSX,” Amtrak said. “CSX owns and controls the Columbia Subdivision where the accident occurred. CSX maintains all of the tracks and signal systems. CSX controls the dispatching of all trains, including directing the signal systems which control the access to sidings and yards.”

UPDATE 1:11 p.m.: Amtrak confirms the engineer and conductor of Train 91 were the two fatalities in this morning’s tragic accident. Injuries total 116 while the cause of the collision remains under investigation.

—Railfan & Railroad

This article was posted on: February 4, 2018