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
Details
Date	September 25, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-09-25) 3:56 PM MDT (21:56 UTC)
Location	Joplin, Montana 2 mi (3.2 km) west of town
Coordinates	48°33′30″N 110°48′57″W
Country	United States
Line	Hi-Line
Operator	Amtrak (passenger train) BNSF Railway (railroad)
Service	Empire Builder
Incident type	Derailment
Cause	Problem with tracks (bent tracks)
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	149
Crew	16
Deaths	3
Injured	49 (15 hospitalized)
Damage	Yes
Empire Builder Legend Cascades to Eugene Coast Starlight to Los Angeles 2257 mi 3632 km Portland Columbia River OR WA 2247 mi 3616 km Vancouver, Washington Cascades, Coast Starlight 2182 mi 3512 km Bingen-White Salmon 2151 mi 3462 km Wishram                   Route 1971–1981             Route 1971–1981 to Seattle East Auburn Ellensburg Yakima 2025 mi 3259 km Pasco (Tri-Cities) 2206 mi 3550 km Seattle 2188 mi 3521 km Edmonds 2173 mi 3497 km Everett Cascades to Vancouver, BC Cascade Tunnel 2072 mi 3335 km Leavenworth 2050 mi 3299 km Wenatchee 1996 mi 3212 km Ephrata Train divides at Spokane 1877 mi 3021 km Spokane WA ID 1807 mi 2908 km Sandpoint ID MT Pacific Time Mountain Time Troy Closed 1973 1723 mi 2773 km Libby Flathead Tunnel 1620 mi 2607 km Whitefish 1599 mi 2573 km West Glacier 1573 mi 2531 km Essex 1542 mi 2482 km East Glacier Park Summer only 1528 mi 2459 km Browning Winter only 1495 mi 2406 km Cut Bank 1471 mi 2367 km Shelby 1366 mi 2198 km Havre 1277 mi 2055 km Malta 1211 mi 1949 km Glasgow 1162 mi 1870 km Wolf Point MT ND Mountain Time Central Time 1055 mi 1698 km Williston 989 mi 1592 km Stanley 935 mi 1505 km Minot 874 mi 1407 km Rugby 817 mi 1315 km Devils Lake 732 mi 1178 km Grand Forks 658 mi 1059 km Fargo Red River of the North ND MN                Route prior to 1979                Route prior to 1979 Breckenridge Morris Willmar Minneapolis Closed 1978 610 mi 982 km Detroit Lakes 548 mi 882 km Staples 482 mi 776 km St. Cloud Midway 1978–2014 411 mi 661 km Saint Paul 371 mi 597 km Red Wing 308 mi 496 km Winona Mississippi River MN WI 281 mi 452 km La Crosse 240 mi 386 km Tomah 195 mi 314 km Wisconsin Dells 178 mi 286 km Portage 150 mi 241 km Columbus 86 mi 138 km Milwaukee WI IL 18 mi 29 km Glenview 0 mi Chicago other Amtrak services other Amtrak services California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr, and Southwest Chief Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle City of New Orleans, Illini and Saluki Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, and Michigan Services Cardinal All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit

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

• List of accidents on Amtrak

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]. September 27, 2021. 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 links

External images
Aerial view of a derailed Amtrak train (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)
Gallery from KRCG-TV

Media related to 2021 Montana train derailment at Wikimedia Commons

• National Railroad Passenger Corporation Derailment with Passenger Fatalities | National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
• "NTSB officials give update on deadly train derailment", September 27, 2021 | KING 5 Seattle