UPDATES: Four Injured After Amtrak Train to DC Derails in Vermont

By MARC TORRENCE (Patch National Staff)

Four people were injured Monday morning after an Amtrak train, “The Vermonter,” headed to Washington, D.C. derailed in Northfield, Vermont (see map below).

Three cars of the five-car Amtrak train went over a “steep embankment” in Northfield, according to Leon Eggleston, a lieutenant with the Montpelier Fire Department. There were 98 passengers and four crew members on board, Amtrak said.

The four passengers who were transported to the hospital were released Monday afternoon, according to an Amtrak spokeswoman.

Passengers were provided alternate transportation. Individuals with questions about their friends and family on train 55 should call Amtrak’s Emergency Hotline at 800-523-9101.

As a result of this incident, Amtrak has made the following service modifications for its Vermonter service Tuesday, Oct. 6 and Wednesday, Oct. 7:

• Train 55 (St. Albans, Vt. – Washington, DC) will originate in Springfield, Mass., for service to Washington, D.C., with alternate transportation provided for stops north of Springfield, Mass.
• Train 56 (Washington, DC. - St. Albans, Vt.) will terminate in Springfield, Mass., with alternate transportation for stops north of Springfield, Mass.

Passengers with travel plans can confirm their train’s status, change their plans or review refund information using a range of tools – including Amtrak.com, smartphone apps or by calling 800-USA-RAIL. Service Alerts, Passenger Notices and other announcements are posted at Amtrak.com/alerts.

Vermont State Police spokesman Scott Waterman confirmed the derailment Monday in a phone call with Patch and said it happened in the “area of Bull Run Road.”

The four injured passengers were transported by ambulance to Central Vermont Medical Center, and the severity of their injuries were unknown, Eggleston told Patch. Several dozen passengers were loaded onto buses and taken to nearby Norwich University, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The cause of the derailment was also unknown, Eggleston said, and “most of the agencies around central Vermont” responded to the incident.

“Amtrak management is responding to the reported derailment of Train 55 – the Vermonter – in the area of Roxbury, Vermont,” Chelsea Kopta, an Amtrak spokesperson, said. “The train was traveling from Saint Albans, Vermont to Washington, DC when it derailed after reportedly striking debris from a rock slide on the tracks. The track is owned and maintained by the New England Central Railroad. First responders are on the scene. There are no immediate reports of any life-threatening injuries.

Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available. “

Northfield is a town of about 6,000 people 10 miles south of Montpelier, the state capital.

The Vermonter runs daily between St. Albans, Vermont and Washington, D.C and last year served more than 88,000 passengers, according to the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

The Federal Railroad Association said on Twitter that it “is aware of the Amtrak derailment in Vermont and has sent investigators to the site. We will update as information becomes available.”

You can see photos of the scene from across social media below: