WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board says it will focus on factors including passenger car crashworthiness and survival factors as part of its ongoing investigation of the fatal Sept. 25 derailment of the Empire Builder near Joplin, Mont.
In a preliminary report released Tuesday, the NTSB also said it would focus on track and engineering and equipment as it continues to investigate the accident that killed three people and injured 44 [see “Feds: Empire Builder was traveling under speed limit …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 27, 2021].
Preliminary NTSB reports make no conclusions as to cause or recommendations of action, but lay out initial facts, many of which have already been released, such as the fact the train was traveling within the 79 mph speed limit at the time of the accident. It notes that while on scene, NTSB investigators inspected track and equipment, reviewed signal and train control data logs, obtained data from the lead locomotive’s forward facing camera and event recorder, and conducted interviews. The report also indicates Amtrak estimated damage to be more than $22 million.
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