Full rail service to resume in US northeast after deadly crash

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Rail service will resume between Philadelphia and New York on Monday, May 18, following a deadly crash that left 8 people dead and more than 200 injured along the popular train route.

Amtrak Train 188 was traveling at more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour – twice the speed limit – when the driver slammed on the emergency brakes just before it derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 12.

The stretch of rail between the two cities has been closed since the accident, as investigators combed through heaps of twisted metal and debris trying to piece together what caused the accident.

Amtrak said Sunday, May 17, the stretch of track had undergone repairs and full service was expected to resume on Monday morning.

“Amtrak staff and crew have been working around the clock to repair the infrastructure necessary to restore service for all the passengers who travel along the northeast corridor,” Amtrak chief Joe Boardman said in a statement.

“Our infrastructure repairs have been made with the utmost care and emphasis on infrastructure integrity including complete compliance with Federal Railroad Administration directives,” the statement added.

The trains will resume from New York City at 5:30 am (0930 GMT) and from Philadelphia at 5:53 am, all local time.

The rail corridor connecting Washington and New York – which passes through Philadelphia – is one of the country’s busiest, a popular route among professionals and tourists alike.

Investigators have turned to the actions of the train’s driver to determine what may have caused the accident, though the engineer has said he has no recollection of the last minutes before the derailment.

They have also recovered the train’s “black box” data recorders but they cautioned that its first assessment of the data was preliminary, and that it would need more time to piece together precisely what happened. – Rappler.com