Amtrak service to resume on Point Defiance Bypass after 2017 derailment
Nov 10, 2021, 8:01 AM
Work crews prepare to clear southbound I-5 lanes at the scene of an Amtrak train derailment on Dec. 18, 2017, in DuPont, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Amtrak says trains will soon resume using the bypass tracks south of Tacoma where a deadly derailment occurred in 2017.
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The first trains on the Amtrak Cascades service are scheduled to use the Point Defiance Bypass on Nov. 18, 2021. This comes after the passenger railroad service says it has done extensive system testing, crew qualifications, and safety certifications in partnership with Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The bypass parallels I-5 between the Tacoma Dome Station, Lakewood, JBLM, DuPont and Nisqually.
When the bypass first opened nearly four years ago, a passenger train going 80 miles per hour on a section of track designed for 30 miles an hour derailed onto I-5. Three passengers were killed and dozens were injured.
Passenger locomotives run for first time on tracks since deadly Nisqually crash
On Nov. 18, the first Amtrak Cascades train using the bypass will leave Seattle at 7:22 a.m., arriving in Tacoma at 8:08 a.m. The first northbound train from Oregon will leave Eugene at 5:30 a.m. and Portland at 8:20 a.m., arriving in Tacoma at 10:54 a.m. In total, eight trains will use the bypass daily, which includes Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight, with additional trains added in the months ahead.
“Amtrak is continuously improving safety for the benefit of our customers, employees, and the communities we serve,” said Stephen Gardner, president of Amtrak. “We are ready to safely resume service on the Bypass consistent with the steps required by our host railroad, Sound Transit, the Federal Railroad Administration and our own Safety Management System.”
