Here’s Amtrak’s latest response to deadly SC crash

A Sunday morning crash involving an Amtrak passenger train and a freight train in Cayce, South Carolina, killed at least two people and injured more than 100.

Amtrak President Richard Anderson says the signal system run by a private railroad was down when one of his passenger trains slammed into the rear of a parked freight train carrying automobiles on a side track in South Carolina, killing two workers.

Anderson said dispatchers at CSX were manually routing trains around 2:45 a.m. Sunday. He says he would defer to National Transportation Safety Board investigators to determine what role that played in the wreck that also sent 116 people to the hospital, most with minor injuries.

Speaking in a phone conference call with reporters, Anderson says the crash of the train heading from New York to Miami shows why the U.S. needs to install GPS-based technology — called positive train control — by year's end.

The system is in place in the Northeast, but Anderson says private companies who run the tracks Amtrak uses elsewhere have in the past asked for extensions to deadlines.

Here is a statement released after noon Sunday from Amtrak:

Latest Update

We are deeply saddened to report the death of two of our employees in this morning’s derailment in Cayce, South Carolina. Additionally, affected customers reporting injuries have been transported to local hospitals.

We are cooperating fully with the NTSB, which is leading the investigation, as well as working with FRA and CSX. CSX owns and controls the Columbia Subdivision where the accident occurred. CSX maintains all of the tracks and signal systems. CSX controls the dispatching of all trains, including directing the signal systems which control the access to sidings and yards.

Amtrak is working to take care of everyone who was on the train, including family members of our passengers and crew. Families with questions about customers on the train can contact us at 800-523-9101.

Details

Amtrak Train 91, operating between New York and Miami, came in contact with a CSX freight train at around 2:35 a.m. ET in Cayce, South Carolina. The lead engine derailed, as well as some passenger cars. There were 8 crew members and approximately 139 customers on board. Local authorities are on the scene responding.

Customer information

People who have questions about customers on the train can contact us at 800-523-9101.

Service information

Due to this incident and the resulting temporary track closure, Trains 91 & 92, the Amtrak Silver Star will detour between Hamlet, N.C., and Savannah, Ga., until further notice. Passengers will be provided alternate transportation to missed stops, as available.

Other Amtrak services along the Atlantic Coast, including the Auto Train (Trains 52 & 53), Palmetto (Trains 89 & 90) and Silver Meteor (Trains 97 & 98) are operating normally.

This story was originally published February 4, 2018 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Here’s Amtrak’s latest response to deadly SC crash."