2016 Cimarron train derailment
| 2016 Cimarron train derailment | |
|---|---|
 Southwest Chief heading west toward Trinidad, Colorado; Sangre de Cristo Range in the distance. | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | March 14, 2016 0:00 a.m. local time (5:00 UTC) |
| Location | Dodge City, Kansas |
| Country | United States |
| Line | BNSF |
| Operator | Amtrak |
| Incident type | Derailment |
| Cause | Under investigation; |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Crew | 14 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 32 |
The 2016 Dodge City train derailment occurred on March 14, 2016 when Amtrak's Southwest Chief derails about 20 miles (32 km) west of Dodge City in Kansas, United States. 32 were injured.
Accident
The accident occurred after 0:00 a.m. local time (5:00 UTC) when Amtrak's Southwest Chief derailed, with five cars falling onto their sides and a fourth remaining upright, as did the 2 locomotives which where pulling the train. The train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago and was leaving the Cimarron 3 miles (4.8 km) away from the crash site. It was traveling at 75 miles per hour (120 km/h) when the emergency brakes were applied and had slowed to 60 miles per hour (100 km/h) when it derailed. The train's usual cruising speed is 90 miles per hour (144 km/h) it was traveling under that speed. The train cars consisted of 2 P42DC locomotives, baggage car, one Superliner transition sleeping car, two Superliner sleeping cars, a Superliner dining car, a Superliner lounge car, and three Superliner coach cars.
There were 128 passengers and 12 crew on board the train. Of those, 32 were injured. Initially, Four of them remained hospitalized Monday evening, including two people who were airlifted to Amarillo, Texas. Two of them where critically hurt. The rest had been released.
Aftermath
Local roads around the scene of the accident were closed.
Investigations
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the accident. The Gray County sheriff's deputy sais that there was a separate vehicle accident that may have damaged the rails, and authorities were examining tire tracks leading to the train tracks and preserving the scene with crime scene tape. Later reports say that an agricultural vehicle damaged the track prior to the train's derailment, 25 miles from impact.[1]