Killer curve ignored
Plan to straighten track bend was ‘too costly’
The sharp 30 mph curve where an Amtrak train derailed in Washington this week wasn’t supposed to be there at all, according to a new report.
An $11 billion Washington state government plan to speed up passenger and freight rail service throughout the Pacific Northwest called for an elimination of the turn.
But that request was not included in the final design, once the state won federal funding for the Point Defiance railroad bypass south of Tacoma, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The plan was ditched because the turn in question was too costly to remove, the outlet reported, citing documents and state officials.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that video aboard the derailed train revealed that “about six seconds prior to the derailment, the engineer made a comment regarding an over-speed condition.”
It did not appear that the engineer placed the train in emergency braking mode, according to the NTSB.
The crew aboard the train was not observed to have used any personal electronic devices during the video segment viewed by the investigators.
The final recorded speed of the train was 78 mph, the investigation revealed. The video cut out as the crew braced for impact.
The existing curve had a speed limit of 30 mph. The train was barreling across the overpass at 80 mph just before it flew off the turn and plunged off an overpass onto busy Interstate 5 during its inaugural run from Seattle to Portland Monday — killing three people and injuring more than 100.
The section where the train derailed “includes unsuitable sharp curvature,” according to schematics obtained by the Journal.
“A new connection, largely on structure because of differences in elevation, with a speed limit of 100 mph will be required.”
The Washington State Transportation Department is still planning to pursue upgrades to the bypass — including at the fatal curve — to allow for higher speeds, a spokeswoman told the Journal.
However, the agency did not apply for funding to eliminate the curve because it wasn’t deemed necessary, she said.