2021 Montana train derailment

On September 25, 2021, at 3:56 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time, Amtrak passenger train 7/27, the westbound Empire Builder, carrying 149 passengers and 16 crew members, derailed west of the town of Joplin, Montana, United States. The train consisted of two locomotives and ten cars, eight of which derailed.[1]

2021 Montana train derailment
NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg at the accident site
United States
United States
Details
DateSeptember 25, 2021 (2021-09-25)
3:56 PM MDT (21:56 UTC)
LocationJoplin, Montana
2 mi (3.2 km) west of town
Coordinates48°33′30″N 110°48′57″W
CountryUnited States
LineHi-Line
OperatorAmtrak (passenger train)
BNSF Railway (railroad)
ServiceEmpire Builder
Incident typeDerailment
CauseProblem with tracks
Statistics
Trains1
Passengers149
Crew16
Deaths3
Injured49 (15 hospitalized)
DamageYes

Three people were killed, and 49 others were injured, with 15 of them being hospitalized.[2]

Background
Main article: Empire Builder

The Empire Builder is a long-distance passenger rail service operated by Amtrak traveling on tracks of the BNSF Railway between the cities of Chicago and Seattle or Portland. Trains are split or combined at Spokane, with the Portland section being at the rear of westbound trains.[3]

The derailment occurred on the Hi-Line, a portion of the BNSF's Northern Transcon.[4][5] BNSF conducted its most recent inspection of the section through Joplin on September 23, 2021. The last major Amtrak accident in Montana occurred in 1988, when an Empire Builder train hit a track buckle and derailed in Saco.[6]

Derailment
One of the overturned cars

The westbound Empire Builder train 7/27, operating with two P42DC locomotives (units #74 and #38) and 10 railcars (one baggage car followed by nine Superliners),[7] was carrying 149 passengers and 19 crew members at the time of the derailment. At 3:56 p.m.,[2] while traveling just under the speed limit of 79 mph, the eight rear cars derailed near the town of Joplin, Montana, located 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Helena.[8]

The rear four cars (a Sightseer Lounge, two coaches and a sleeper), all destined for Portland, tipped over after derailing.[8][9] Three people on board were killed, and 49 others were injured,[2] including 15 who were hospitalized.[7][10]

NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg stated that the Empire Builder derailment happened at a gradual right-hand curve, just prior to reaching a railroad switch at the entrance to a railway siding while travelling on the single-track mainline,[11] contrary to previous speculation that a defect with the switch itself caused the accident.[12] According to The New York Times, several passengers reported a "bumpy" ride before the derailment.[6]

Response

Emergency personnel from six local counties were dispatched to the derailment site, and five hospitals were put on standby to treat injured passengers.[7][13] Three people were transported to Benefis Hospital in Great Falls and two others were treated at Logan Health in Kalispell.[10] Non-injured passengers were taken to the Liberty County Senior Center in Joplin, Chester High School in Chester, and hotels in Shelby. Residents of nearby communities provided food and assistance to passengers after an emergency siren alerted them to the incident.[8][6] A section of nearby U.S. Route 2 was closed to allow for emergency access.[4] Three air ambulance helicopters were sent to the scene.[2]

Amtrak announced the deployment of their Incident Response Team along with emergency personnel and agency leaders. Service was immediately suspended between Minot, North Dakota, and Shelby, Montana, and later Empire Builder trips were truncated to Minneapolis.[1] Track repair crews from BNSF Railway were also brought to the site to replace damaged railroad ties and roadbed.[10] The line was closed until September 28.[14]

Investigations
NTSB photo showing a track joint with vertical displacement

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened an investigation into the derailment and dispatched a 14-person "go-team".[7][15] Those investigators arrived on September 26 and were expected to remain on-site for approximately one week.[16] The NTSB team held their first press conference the following afternoon, after formally taking over the investigation from Liberty County Disaster and Emergency Services. A preliminary report was expected within 30 days.[11][17]

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced on September 26 that it had sent a team of 18 technical experts to the site to initiate a forensic investigation that will also support the NTSB investigation.[18][19]

Amtrak and BNSF each had their own investigators and incident response personnel on-site within one day of the derailment.[1][10][20]

In July 2023, the NTSB released their final report into the derailment.[21] The report cited poor track conditions — worn and damaged track — missed by the railroad's inspectors for the derailment as the cause of accident. Unstable rail bed also contributed to the derailment.[22] Additionally, the NTSB stated the failure of some windows to stay in place caused passenger ejections, contributing to the severity of injuries.[23]

See also

References
  1. "Statement on Empire Builder Derailment near Joplin, MT (September 26)". Amtrak Media. September 26, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  2. "Derailment of Amtrak Passenger Train 7 on BNSF Railway Track" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  3. Stern, John (December 20, 2015). "Taking the Empire Builder train across America". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  4. "Three die in Empire Builder derailment". Havre Daily News. September 25, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  5. Keefe, Kevin P. (May 7, 2021). "Seeking Amtrak's modern version of the 'Empire Builder'". Trains. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  6. Tompkins, Lucy; Killelea, Eric; Robbins, Jim; Lukpat, Alyssa (September 26, 2021). "The Cause of the Derailed Amtrak Train Remains Unclear". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  7. Mele, Christopher; Patel, Vimal; Levenson, Michael (September 25, 2021). "At Least 3 Killed and 50 Hurt in Amtrak Derailment in Montana, Officials Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  8. Hanson, Amy; Bellisle, Martha (September 27, 2021). "Amtrak train that derailed was going just under speed limit". Associated Press. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  9. "Victims identified in 'Empire Builder' derailment". Trains News Wire]. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  10. Hanson, Amy Beth; Snow, Anita (September 26, 2021). "Investigators probe deadly Amtrak derailment in Montana". Associated Press. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  11. "NTSB holds press conference on deadly train derailment near Joplin". KHQ6 News. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  12. "Investigators Want To Know What Caused An Amtrak Train To Derail In Montana". NPR. Associated Press. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  13. Pietsch, Bryan (September 25, 2021). "At least 3 dead after Amtrak train derails in rural Montana". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  14. Luczak, Marybeth (September 26, 2021). "Amtrak Empire Builder Derailment Investigation Under Way, Montana Track Reopens (Sept. 28)". Railway Age. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  15. "At least three killed in Amtrak train derailment in Montana". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Ltd. September 26, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  16. "NTSB Investigators on Scene at Montana Amtrak Derailment" (Press release). National Transportation Safety Board. September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  17. "WATCH LIVE: NTSB officials give update on deadly train derailment" (Streaming video). Youtube. KING 5 Seattle. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  18. Luczak, Marybeth (September 26, 2021). "Amtrak Empire Builder Derails in Montana (Updated)". Railway Age. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  19. Federal Railway Administration [@USDOTFRA] (September 26, 2021). "We extend our condolences to the families of those killed and our sincerest hopes for the full and speedy recovery of those injured as a result of the derailment of Amtrak's Empire Builder in MT. We dispatched 18 personnel to the scene to investigate in support of the NTSB" (Tweet). Retrieved September 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
  20. "NTSB Investigators on Scene at Montana Amtrak Derailment" (Press release). Amtrak. September 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  21. "Track Issues Led to Fatal Montana Train Derailment". www.ntsb.gov. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  22. "Investigators say poor track conditions caused a 2021 Amtrak derailment in Montana that killed three". ABC News. Retrieved July 27, 2023. poor track conditions included a worn rail, vertical track deflection, misalignment and instability in the rail bed… BNSF's lack of action indicated "a shortcoming in its safety culture."
  23. "Track Issues Led to Fatal Montana Train Derailment". www.ntsb.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
External images
image icon Aerial view of a derailed Amtrak train (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)
image icon Gallery from KRCG-TV

Media related to 2021 Montana train derailment at Wikimedia Commons


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