Amtrak Passenger Train 501 Derailment DuPont, Washington December 18, 2017 Accident Report NTSB/RAR-19/01 PB2019-100807 National Transportation Safety Board NTSB/RAR-19/01 PB2019-100807 Notation 58913 Report Date: May 21, 2019 Railroad Accident Report Amtrak Passenger Train 501 Derailment DuPont, Washington December 18, 2017 National Transportation Safety Board 490 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 National Transportation Safety Board. 2019. Amtrak Passenger Train 501 Derailment, DuPont, Washington, December 18, 2017. NTSB/RAR-19/01. Washington, DC. Abstract: On December 18, 2017, at 7:34 a.m. Pacific standard time, southbound Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) passenger train 501, consisting of 10 passenger railcars, a power railcar, a baggage railcar, and a locomotive at either end, derailed from a bridge near DuPont, Washington. When the train derailed, it was on its first revenue service run on a single main track (Lakewood Subdivision) at milepost 19.86. There was one run for special guests the week before the accident. Several passenger railcars fell onto Interstate 5 and hit multiple highway vehicles. At the time of the accident, 77 passengers, 5 Amtrak employees, and a Talgo, Inc., technician were on the train. Of these individuals, 3 passengers were killed, and 57 passengers and crewmembers were injured. Additionally, 8 individuals in highway vehicles were injured. The damage is estimated to be more than $25.8 million. The accident investigation focused on the following issues: individual agency responsibilities in preparation for inaugural service, multiagency participation in preparation for inaugural service, Amtrak safety on a host railroad, implementation of positive train control, training and qualifying operating crews, crashworthiness of the Talgo equipment, survival factors and emergency design of equipment, and multiagency emergency response. As a result of this investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board makes safety recommendations to the United States Secretary of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration, United States Department of Defense Fire and Emergency Services Working Group, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Oregon Department of Transportation, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), and the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. The National Transportation Safety Board also reiterates four recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration and reclassifies three recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency dedicated to promoting aviation, railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline safety. Established in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress through the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974 to investigate transportation accidents, determine the probable causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations, study transportation safety issues, and evaluate the safety effectiveness of government agencies involved in transportation. The NTSB makes public its actions and decisions through accident reports, safety studies, special investigation reports, safety recommendations, and statistical reviews. The NTSB does not assign fault or blame for an accident or incident; rather, as specified by NTSB regulation, “accident/incident investigations are fact-finding proceedings with no formal issues and no adverse parties … and are not conducted for the purpose of determining the rights or liabilities of any person.” 49 C.F.R. § 831.4. 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For additional assistance, contact: National Technical Information Service, 5301 Shawnee Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312, (800) 553-6847 or (703) 605-6000 (see NTIS website) NTSB Railroad Accident Report Contents Figures and Tables ....................................................................................................................... iv Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... x 1.Factual Information ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Accident ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Accident Narrative .................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Amtrak Cascades Service.......................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Washington State Department of Transportation ..................................................................... 6 1.4.1 WSDOT Rail, Freight, and Ports Division ............................................................. 6 1.4.2 WSDOT Capital Improvements.............................................................................. 7 1.4.3 The Point Defiance Bypass Project (Lakewood Subdivision) ................................ 7 1.5 Sound Transit ............................................................................................................................ 8 1.5.1 Office of S ystem Safety and Q uality Assurance..................................................... 8 1.5.2 System Safety Program Plan................................................................................... 9 1.5.3 System Safety Certification Plan ............................................................................ 9 1.5.4 Construction, Safety Certification for Point Defiance Bypass Project ................... 9 1.5.5 Hazard Analysis .................................................................................................... 10 1.5.6 Inaugural Service Point Defiance Bypass Project ................................................ 11 1.5.7 BNSF Railway ...................................................................................................... 12 1.5.8 Amtrak .................................................................................................................. 12 1.6 Operations ............................................................................................................................... 13 1.7 Oversight ............................................................................................................................... 13 1.7.1 Washington [State] Utilities and Transportation Commission ............................. 13 1.7.2 Federal Railroad Administration........................................................................... 14 1.8 Personnel Information............................................................................................................. 15 1.8.1 Fitness for Duty..................................................................................................... 15 1.8.2 Training and Experience ....................................................................................... 15 1.8.3 Territory Qualification for Lakewood Subdivision .............................................. 16 1.8.4 Wayside Cues for Speed Restriction..................................................................... 18 1.8.5 Familiarity with the S iemens C harger Locomotive .............................................. 19 1.8.6 Crew Responsibilities ........................................................................................... 20 1.9 Damages Estimates ................................................................................................................. 20 1.10 Equipment Information ......................................................................................................... 21 1.10.1 Lead Locomotive WDTX 1402 (1)....................................................................... 22 1.10.2 Passenger Equipment ............................................................................................ 22 1.10.3 Rear Locomotive AMTK 181 (14) ....................................................................... 22 1.10.4 Predeparture Inspections ....................................................................................... 22 1.10.5 Locomotive Postaccident Inspections ..................................................................