By Justin Franz
“Poor track conditions” led to the fatal derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder near Joplin, Mont., in September 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday.
Almost two years after the derailment that killed three and injured dozens of others, federal investigators released their final report about the wreck. Investigators wrote that it wasn’t one track defect but a combination of problems — including worn rail, misaligned track and soft road bed — that all contributed to the derailment. The westbound Empire Builder was traveling at 77 miles per hour, two miles below the posted 79 mile-per-hour speed limit, when it left the tracks about 50 miles west of Havre. The train was operating on BNSF Railway’s Hi-Line Subdivision.
“This tragedy is a powerful reminder that there’s no substitute for robust track inspection practices, which can prevent derailments by identifying track conditions that may deteriorate over time,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “I implore track owners, who are responsible for the safety of their routes, to ensure inspectors have the time, support, and resources needed to do their work, which is essential to rail safety.”
As part of the report, investigators made a series of recommendations, including that the Federal Railroad Administartion come up with new standards for when worn rail should be replaced. The report also stated that BNSF’s track inspector may have been overworked and that may have prevented him from performing a timely walking inspection of the track, which may have revealed issues more than an inspection from a hi-rail truck. The line had been inspected two days before the derailment. The NTSB also said that autonomous track inspection systems applied to locomotives could have helped alert the railroad of a problem in a more timely manner.
In a statement to Railfan & Railroad, BNSF said that it has a robust safety program and that it was installing autonomous track inspection systems on its locomotives.
“While we haven’t had a chance to fully review the findings yet, we are committed to safety across our system,” a spokesperson wrote.
In their own statement, an Amtrak spokesperson wrote, “Amtrak appreciates the opportunity to participate in the investigation and we will review the recommendations. Amtrak will continue to work with all stakeholders to improve rail safety for the traveling public.”
