Amtrak Train 501 derailed on a sharp curve between Tacoma and Olympia, Wash., early Monday morning, killing 3 and injuring dozens as the train piled up on busy Interstate 5 paralleling the tracks. All 12 of the train’s coaches and one of its two engines derailed. The National Transportation Safety Board said at a Monday night briefing that the train had been traveling more than twice the speed limit before it derailed, or at 80 miles per hour instead of the allowable 30 m.p.h. This was the first day of operation on a new inland bypass route. DEtails continue to emerge as the investigation is ongoing.
—Railfan & Railroad
Updated December 21, 2017.