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Paul Cheung, an [[Associated Press]] manager, was also on the train. He said that before the train derailed, it "started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the brake. Then suddenly you could see everything starting to shake. You could see people’s stuff flying over me."<ref name="guardian 20150513 0818am"/> Passenger Daniel Wetrin was taken to a nearby school after the crash. He said, "I walked off as if, like, I was in a movie. There were people standing around, people with bloody faces … power cables all buckled down as you stepped off the train."<ref name="guardian 20150513 0818am"/> Another man took a cellphone video of the aftermath of the crash. In the video, rescuers are telling trapped passengers to crawl to safety, while other passengers cry and moan.<ref name="guardian 20150513 0818am"/> Some Port Richmond residents were also startled. One resident stated that it felt like "a mild earthquake"; another said that the crash "sounded like a bomb."<ref name="pv 20150513"/>
Paul Cheung, an [[Associated Press]] manager, was also on the train. He said that before the train derailed, it "started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the brake. Then suddenly you could see everything starting to shake. You could see people’s stuff flying over me."<ref name="guardian 20150513 0818am"/> Passenger Daniel Wetrin was taken to a nearby school after the crash. He said, "I walked off as if, like, I was in a movie. There were people standing around, people with bloody faces … power cables all buckled down as you stepped off the train."<ref name="guardian 20150513 0818am"/> Another man took a cellphone video of the aftermath of the crash. In the video, rescuers are telling trapped passengers to crawl to safety, while other passengers cry and moan.<ref name="guardian 20150513 0818am"/> Some Port Richmond residents were also startled. One resident stated that it felt like "a mild earthquake"; another said that the crash "sounded like a bomb."<ref name="pv 20150513"/>


Among the dead are Justin Zemser, a 20-year-old midshipman at the [[United States Naval Academy]] from [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach, New York]], as well as Jim Gaines, a 48-year-old video software architect who lived in [[Plainsboro, New Jersey]].<ref name=wpvi/> [[SEPTA]] sent 15 buses to transport passengers involved in the derailment.<ref name=wpvi/> A total of 120 firefighters and 200 police officers responded to the accident scene.<ref name="wcau"/>
Among the dead are Justin Zemser, a 20-year-old midshipman at the [[United States Naval Academy]] from [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach, New York]], as well as Jim Gaines, a 48-year-old video software architect who lived in [[Plainsboro, New Jersey]].<ref name=wpvi/> [[Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority]] (SEPTA) sent 15 buses to transport passengers involved in the derailment.<ref name=wpvi/> A total of 120 firefighters and 200 police officers responded to the accident scene.<ref name="wcau"/>


Following the incident, Amtrak service was suspended along the [[Northeast Corridor]] between [[30th Street Station|Philadelphia]] and [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York City]] and also between Philadelphia and [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Washington]]. [[SEPTA Regional Rail]] service on the [[Trenton Line (SEPTA)|Trenton Line]] and [[Chestnut Hill West Line]] was also suspended; the latter was restored at 5:00 a.m. on May 13.<ref name="wcau">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Amtrak-Derailment-Philadelphia--303536331.html|title=At Least 7 Dead, Over 200 Hurt After Amtrak Train Derails, Rolls on Side in Philadelphia|publisher=WCAU-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=May 13, 2015|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name=wpvi2/> In addition, [[New Jersey Transit]] suspended service along the [[Atlantic City Line]] between Philadelphia and [[Cherry Hill (NJT station)|Cherry Hill]], with shuttle buses substituting between the two points. New Jersey Transit cross-honored Amtrak tickets on buses, trains, and light rail. As a result of Trenton Line service being suspended, [[Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority]] (SEPTA) ran extra trains along the parallel [[West Trenton Line (SEPTA)|West Trenton Line]].<ref name=wpvi2/> A special shuttle operated by New Jersey Transit connected [[West Trenton (SEPTA station)|West Trenton]] to the [[Trenton Transit Center]] and SEPTA operated a free shuttle between [[Cornwells Heights (SEPTA station)|Cornwells Heights]] and the [[Frankford Transportation Center]], where riders could connect to the [[Market-Frankford Line]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Enhanced Weekday West Trenton Service|publisher=SEPTA|url=http://www.septa.org/service/rail/2015-special-west-trenton.html|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref> Several streets in the Port Richmond neighborhood were closed as a result of the derailment, including Frankford Avenue between Torresdale and Castor Avenues.<ref name=wpvi2>{{cite web|url=http://6abc.com/traffic/amtrak-derailment-impacts-septa-other-transit/719061/|title=Amtrak derailment impacts SEPTA, other transit|publisher=WPVI-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=May 13, 2015|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref>
Following the incident, Amtrak service was suspended along the [[Northeast Corridor]] between [[30th Street Station|Philadelphia]] and [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York City]] and also between Philadelphia and [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Washington]]. [[SEPTA Regional Rail]] service on the [[Trenton Line (SEPTA)|Trenton Line]] and [[Chestnut Hill West Line]] was also suspended; the latter was restored at 5:00 a.m. on May 13.<ref name="wcau">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Amtrak-Derailment-Philadelphia--303536331.html|title=At Least 7 Dead, Over 200 Hurt After Amtrak Train Derails, Rolls on Side in Philadelphia|publisher=WCAU-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=May 13, 2015|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name=wpvi2/> In addition, [[New Jersey Transit]] suspended service along the [[Atlantic City Line]] between Philadelphia and [[Cherry Hill (NJT station)|Cherry Hill]], with shuttle buses substituting between the two points. New Jersey Transit cross-honored Amtrak tickets on buses, trains, and light rail. As a result of Trenton Line service being suspended, SEPTA ran extra trains along the parallel [[West Trenton Line (SEPTA)|West Trenton Line]].<ref name=wpvi2/> A special shuttle operated by New Jersey Transit connected [[West Trenton (SEPTA station)|West Trenton]] to the [[Trenton Transit Center]] and SEPTA operated a free shuttle between [[Cornwells Heights (SEPTA station)|Cornwells Heights]] and the [[Frankford Transportation Center]], where riders could connect to the [[Market-Frankford Line]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Enhanced Weekday West Trenton Service|publisher=SEPTA|url=http://www.septa.org/service/rail/2015-special-west-trenton.html|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref> Several streets in the Port Richmond neighborhood were closed as a result of the derailment, including Frankford Avenue between Torresdale and Castor Avenues.<ref name=wpvi2>{{cite web|url=http://6abc.com/traffic/amtrak-derailment-impacts-septa-other-transit/719061/|title=Amtrak derailment impacts SEPTA, other transit|publisher=WPVI-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=May 13, 2015|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref>


==Reactions==
==Reactions==

Revision as of 04:06, 14 May 2015

2015 Philadelphia train derailment
NTSB officials inspect the derailed locomotive
Map
Details
DateMay 12, 2015
9:23 p.m.[1]
LocationPort Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
LineNortheast Corridor
OperatorAmtrak
Incident typeDerailment
CauseUnder investigation, possible curve overspeed
Statistics
Trains1
Deaths7[2]
Injured200+ (including 11 critical)[3]

On May 12, 2015, an Amtrak Northeast Regional train bound for New York City derailed and crashed on the Northeast Corridor in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while traveling over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Seven passengers died and over 200 more were injured. The accident is under investigation.

Context

2015 Philadelphia train derailment is located in Philadelphia
2015 Philadelphia train derailment
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Accident location

The derailment happened at the railroad's Frankford Junction in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Wheatsheaf Lane along a curved section of the tracks.[4][3][5]

Amtrak Northeast Regional No. 188 was on its way from Washington, D.C., to New York City[6] when it derailed at 9:23 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)[1] with 238 passengers and five crew members aboard. The engineer of the train was 32-year-old Brandon Bostian,[3][7] who reportedly suffered a concussion during the accident and has no memory of the crash itself.[8] Passengers reported that the front of the train shook at first and then came to a sudden stop.[9] A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman said the train was traveling at 106 mph (171 km/h) when the engineer applied the emergency brake and 102 mph (164 km/h) when it derailed. The speed limit was 80 mph (130 km/h) approaching the curve and 50 mph (80 km/h) in it.[3][4][5][10] The locomotive plus six cars went off the tracks[11] and flipped onto their sides.[12]

On September 6, 1943, on the same tracks within two blocks from the 2015 crash site, the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier Washington-to-New York train, the Congressional Limited, derailed and crashed, killing 79 people and injuring 117 others.[13]

Immediate aftermath

Some of the passengers were able to walk off the train, while others were rescued using cutting tools.[14] More than 200 passengers were treated at area hospitals, including Temple University Hospital, Aria Health, Hahnemann University Hospital, Jefferson University Hospital, and Einstein Medical Center.[3] Many passengers sustained minor injuries, but a significant number suffered bone fractures, 11 passengers were in critical condition, and at least seven people were killed in the derailment. Another passenger died at Temple University Hospital,[15][16][11] and on the morning of May 13, a seventh passenger was found under a train car who died at a hospital a few hours later.[3][2] Some passengers remained unaccounted for the day following the derailment.[15] A crane was brought to the site in order to lift the overturned train cars, in part to search for trapped victims.[3][7] The train's engineer survived the crash.[15]

Former Congressman Patrick Murphy, who was on the train, said, "There was a lot of mayhem. A lot of blood, a lot of bleeding. I pulled myself up. The guy who I kind of landed on was OK. The guy next to him was completely passed out, knocked unconscious. People were pretty banged up." He also said that after the train derailed, there was a huge banging sound and the train was shaking. Murphy, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, assisted other passengers in evacuating the train.[7] The unconscious man next to Murphy eventually came to, walked off the train, and helped other passengers.[15] Senator Tom Carper of Delaware had been on the same train, but got off at Wilmington, Delaware, before the accident occurred.[17]

Paul Cheung, an Associated Press manager, was also on the train. He said that before the train derailed, it "started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the brake. Then suddenly you could see everything starting to shake. You could see people’s stuff flying over me."[7] Passenger Daniel Wetrin was taken to a nearby school after the crash. He said, "I walked off as if, like, I was in a movie. There were people standing around, people with bloody faces … power cables all buckled down as you stepped off the train."[7] Another man took a cellphone video of the aftermath of the crash. In the video, rescuers are telling trapped passengers to crawl to safety, while other passengers cry and moan.[7] Some Port Richmond residents were also startled. One resident stated that it felt like "a mild earthquake"; another said that the crash "sounded like a bomb."[2]

Among the dead are Justin Zemser, a 20-year-old midshipman at the United States Naval Academy from Rockaway Beach, New York, as well as Jim Gaines, a 48-year-old video software architect who lived in Plainsboro, New Jersey.[3] Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) sent 15 buses to transport passengers involved in the derailment.[3] A total of 120 firefighters and 200 police officers responded to the accident scene.[16]

Following the incident, Amtrak service was suspended along the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and New York City and also between Philadelphia and Washington. SEPTA Regional Rail service on the Trenton Line and Chestnut Hill West Line was also suspended; the latter was restored at 5:00 a.m. on May 13.[16][18] In addition, New Jersey Transit suspended service along the Atlantic City Line between Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, with shuttle buses substituting between the two points. New Jersey Transit cross-honored Amtrak tickets on buses, trains, and light rail. As a result of Trenton Line service being suspended, SEPTA ran extra trains along the parallel West Trenton Line.[18] A special shuttle operated by New Jersey Transit connected West Trenton to the Trenton Transit Center and SEPTA operated a free shuttle between Cornwells Heights and the Frankford Transportation Center, where riders could connect to the Market-Frankford Line.[19] Several streets in the Port Richmond neighborhood were closed as a result of the derailment, including Frankford Avenue between Torresdale and Castor Avenues.[18]

Reactions

NTSB Go Team arrives on the scene of the accident

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter stated of the crash, “It is an absolute disastrous mess."[7] Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said, "Anything that the state can do, we stand ready to do that."[7] Amtrak was "deeply saddened by the loss of life from Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188", according to a statement released on May 13.[7] Vice President Joe Biden stated "Amtrak is like a second family to me, as it is for so many other passengers...", in addition to mentioning that he had taken about 8,000 Amtrak trips to and from Washington during his career.[20]

President Barack Obama released a statement through the Presidential Briefing Room the day after, "Along with Americans across our country, Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the derailment aboard Amtrak Train 188. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those we lost last night, and to the many passengers who today begin their long road to recovery. Along the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak is a way of life for many. From Washington, DC and Philadelphia to New York City and Boston, this is a tragedy that touches us all. As we work to determine exactly what happened, I commend the fire, police and medical personnel working tirelessly and professionally to save lives. Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love – a city of neighborhoods and neighbors – and that spirit of loving-kindness was reaffirmed last night, as hundreds of first responders and passengers lent a hand to their fellow human beings in need."[21]

Several media outlets have reported on the lack of functioning positive train control (PTC) in this section of track, a system which can automatically stop or slow the train to a safe speed based on its position along the track, regardless of engineer input. The PTC system install was planned on being completed in the Philadelphia area later this year, prior to a Congress-mandated deadline of December 2015, 7 months after the accident. National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt told reporters, "Based on what we know right now, we feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred."[22][23]

Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was sent to the scene to investigate and stated that this was not a terrorism-related incident.[24][7] A NTSB team also arrived to investigate.[9] The derailment may have been accidental, according to informal statements made by both agencies.[25] By May 13, the train's event recorder had been recovered and was being analyzed.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b Keneally, Meghan (May 13, 2015). "Amtrak Derailment: Video Shows the Harrowing Moments Before the Crash". ABC News. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "At least seven killed in Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia; over 200 treated at hospitals". PhillyVoice. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "7 killed in Philadelphia Amtrak crash; engineer ID'd". 6abc.com. Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "NTSB: Engineer Hit Emergency Brake as Train Traveled 100+ MPH Moments Before Deadly Derailment". nbcphiladelphia.com. nbcphiladelphia.com. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Northeast Corridor Employee Timetable #3" (PDF). National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). January 18, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  6. ^ "'Heartbroken': 6 dead, hundreds injured after Amtrak train derails in Philadelphia". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Amtrak Philadelphia train crash: mayor describes 'disastrous mess'". The Guardian. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  8. ^ Meghan Keneally; Michael S James (May 13, 2015). "Amtrak Engineer of Derailed Train, Brandon Bostian, Can't Remember Crash Details". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Amtrak train derails, killing 5 people; cars ripped apart". Associated Press. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  10. ^ Mann, Ted; Tangel, Andrew; Maher, Kris (May 13, 2015). "Amtrak Crash: Train Appears to Have Hit Curve Going Over 100 MPH". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "US Amtrak New York-bound train derails in Philadelphia". BBC. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  12. ^ "Amtrak train derails in Philadelphia". CNN. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  13. ^ Ferruccio Barletta. "INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION INVESTIGATION NO. 2726 THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY REPORT IN RE ACCIDENT AT SHORE PA., ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1943". dot.gov. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  14. ^ "5 dead, at least 50 injured after Amtrak train derails in Philadelphia". CNN. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d "Amtrak Crash: Investigators Recover Train's Black Box, Probe Continues". ABC News via Good Morning America. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c "At Least 7 Dead, Over 200 Hurt After Amtrak Train Derails, Rolls on Side in Philadelphia". Philadelphia, PA: WCAU-TV. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  17. ^ "Amtrak train derails killing 6 people; investigation begins". msn.com. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  18. ^ a b c "Amtrak derailment impacts SEPTA, other transit". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  19. ^ "Enhanced Weekday West Trenton Service". SEPTA. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Jarret Renshaw (May 13, 2015). "Investigators review data from fatal Philadelphia train wreck". Reuters. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  21. ^ "Statement by the President". whitehouse.gov. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  22. ^ Shoichet, Catherine E. (May 13, 2015). "Amtrak derailment: Could technology have stopped the crash?". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  23. ^ Rucker, Patrick; Renshaw, Jarrett (May 13, 2015). "Derailed Amtrak train lacked latest U.S. safety controls". Reuters. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  24. ^ "FBI: No indication of terrorism in Amtrak train derailment". CNN. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  25. ^ "Philadelphia Train Crash: Six Dead, Scores Hurt Aboard Amtrak Service". NBC News. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
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40°00′05″N 75°05′41″W / 40.001356°N 75.094611°W / 40.001356; -75.094611

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