Washington: The mood was somber at Penn Station this morning, travelers still absorbing the tragedy of last night’s deadly train derailment. Many say the Amtrak train crash – which killed at least six people – has left them feeling vulnerable.
One passenger said, “I wish I knew if it was just an accident or it had something to do with the tracks or some signal going down or something like that, but just the thought of all those people getting hurt, you know, it’s a bit scary taking the train this morning.”
Amtrak says there were 238 passengers and five crew members aboard Train 188 on route from Washington, D.C., to New York when it derailed at about 9:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday….hurling seven cars, including the engine, from the tracks.
“I came back from DC yesterday morning on the train so it was a little scary. I missed it by just a few hours!”
Rescue workers sifted through twisted metal, while the National Transportation Safety Board began their investigation into what caused the accident.
Along the busy Northeast corridor, Amtrak trains between New York and Philadelphia were canceled.
And in Washington, travelers were trying to to find another way north.
“Amtrak needs to do something about these hundreds and hundreds of people who’ve been detoured and left in Washington DC. What’s going to be done about that and how long do we have to sit here?”
Officials have not yet said how long it will be before services resume.
Ventuno