Report: Amtrak Cascades Train May Have Sped Into Curve Just Before Flying Off Tracks

The train should have been going 30 mph going into the curve, but witnesses say the train was going at least 60 mph within a half-mile of the bend.

Amtrak train derailment near Olympia, Wash. on Dec. 18, 2017. (KATU-TV)
By Katie Shepherd

The high-speed Amtrak train that derailed on its maiden voyage from Seattle to Portland may have sped into a curve just before one of its cars fell off of a bridge and onto the highway below.

The Seattle Times reported that state transportation department spokeswoman Barbara LaBoe said that the train should have slowed from 79 miles per hour to 30 mph before heading into the curve. But a witness driving on Interstate 5 on Monday morning said the train passed him while he was driving about 60 mph, within a half-mile of the crash site.

A website that tracks Amtrak speeds, transitdocs.com, recorded the train cruising at 80 mph shortly before driving into the bend, according to The Associated Press.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash. Speed may have been a factor, but an obstruction could have pushed the train off its tracks.

At least three people died in the crash, and about 100 others were injured.

A safety precaution called the positive train control system designed to prevent dangerous speeds was meant to be installed along the newly opened high-speed route, but Amtrak said the system had not been activated when the train crashed.

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