WASHINGTON, Mo. — No injuries were reported when Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner derailed this evening (Monday, July 8), KSDK-TV reports.
All cars remained upright. Amtrak said in a statement that the train hit a tree on the tracks at about 4:55 p.m. CT, derailing the locomotive’s rear axle. There were 124 passengers and five crew members on board the train of one locomotive and seven railcars. “Power has since been restored to the train,” according to the statement, “and Amtrak is making arrangements to transport passengers to their destinations.”
The derailment occurred about 6 miles east of the Washington stop for the River Runner. A nearby roadway, State Route 100, was closed while officials responded to the scene and helped stranded passengers off the train.
Abe Cook, director of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, told KTVI-TV that the Union Pacific rail line where the derailment occurred was “behind a bluff, which makes it very difficult to get to.” First responders used all-terrain vehicles to reach the scene and determine there were no injuries.
— Updated at 7:20 p.m. CT with Amtrak statement; updated July 9 at 7:15 a.m. with additional details.
Not in the article, but I believe weather may have played a role. I think there were extreme storms in the area with lots of rainfall.
Was the tree on railroad property or from an adjacent land owner?
The class 1s are being very neglectful of removing potential tree problems. One of the days a very HAZ MAT train is going to hit a tree(s) and we will have a mini East Palestine incident.