Amtrak Train Derails Near Seattle


An Amtrak train derailed today near Seattle, Washington. No injuries were reported.

According to Oregon Live, the Amtrak train derailed when it was hit by a mudslide as it was traveling south from Everett to Seattle. Three cars were knocked off of the tracks.

A spokesman for Burlington-Northern, the company that manages the tracks, said that the three cars that were knocked from the rails were disconnected from the train and the passengers were moved to other cars. The train was then taken to Mukilteo for repairs.

The Washington Post reports that the section where the Amtrak train derailed today has been problematic recently. The track was closed in March due to heavy rains and mudslides. A freight train also derailed on the same stretch of tracks last October.

Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, said: “This has been one of the most problematic years we’ve faced, historically … It’s due to day after day after day of successive rainfall.”

The train was derailed today when a 30-foot-long pile of mud and debris fell 100 feet down a hill and onto the tracks. The mudslide hit the last three cars of the train and knocked them off the track.

UPI reports that BNSF issued a 48-hour moratorium for passenger trains after the accident. Freight trains will still be able to use the tracks.

It’s unclear if Amtrak’s train schedule will be interrupted due to the incident today near Seattle.

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