Poor track conditions found to have led to fatal Joplin train derailment

National Transportation Safety Board

An updated report shows poor track conditions were the cause of the fatal Amtrak train derailment near Joplin in 2021.National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators said a combination of factors, including worn rail, vertical track deflection, subgrade instability and track misalignment, led to the derailment of Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder.

JOPLIN, Mont. - An updated report shows poor track conditions were the cause of the fatal Amtrak train derailment near Joplin in 2021.

"This train was over 988ft long and weighed over 2 million pounds and was traveling at 77mhp when it derailed. And the victims of this derailment have to live with the injuries sustained in this crash for the rest of their lives," said Kristofer Riddle, Clifford Law Offices partner representing some of the injured.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators said a combination of factors, including worn rail, vertical track deflection, subgrade instability and track misalignment, led to the derailment of Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder.

The crash killed three passengers and injured 49 passengers and crew when the train derailed while in a right-hand curve on a BNSF Railway main track.

Several lawsuits have since been filed against Amtrak and BNSF Rail Company.

“This tragedy is a powerful reminder that there’s no substitute for robust track inspection practices, which can prevent derailments by identifying track conditions that may deteriorate over time,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “I implore track owners, who are responsible for the safety of their routes, to ensure inspectors have the time, support, and resources needed to do their work, which is essential to rail safety.”

The NTSB says worn rail needs to be replaced before the flange of a train wheel contacts the top of a rail joint bar, and that excessive wheel flange contact can lead to increased wear and tear on the wheel and rail.

Investigators noted the importance of walking inspections to ensure an understanding of track conditions and that the track inspector’s workload likely prevented him from performing a timely walking inspection of the track in the area of the derailment.

Amtrak sent NonStop Local the following statement regarding the investigation: “Amtrak appreciates the opportunity to participate in the investigation and we will review the recommendations. Amtrak will continue to work with all stakeholders to improve rail safety for the traveling public.”

New safety recommendations have been issued by the NTSB as a result of the investigation.

The recommendations address safety issues including limitations of track inspection practices, autonomous monitoring system and treatment of maintenance rails installed.

"I think it's incumbent upon Amtrak to leverage its authority and the industry to get the FAA to incorporate the recommendations identified in the report into the tracks safety standards. Otherwise, tragedies like this will continue to occur," said Riddle.

BNSF also sent a statement, saying they haven’t had a chance to fully review the findings, but they are committed to safety across their system.

You can read the full statement sent by General Director Public Affairs for BNSF Railway, Lena Kent, here:

“BNSF Railway has just received the final report from the NTSB regarding the Amtrak derailment on Sept. 25, 2021. While we haven't had a chance to fully review the findings yet, we are committed to safety across our system.

BNSF regularly inspects all aspects of our network, including our locomotives, track, rail and bridges, and we conduct additional weather-event inspections as conditions demand. Our team of trained inspectors deploys advanced equipment including instrument-equipped rail cars, bridge inspection vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). BNSF inspections meet all federal requirements, and we are committed to timely maintenance, repair and replacement whenever issues or potential issues are detected.

In addition, BNSF deploys more than 4,000 trackside detectors that collect and disseminate data around the clock to help us optimize the safety and reliability of our network and equipment. Wayside detectors, driven by artificial intelligence, produce vast amounts of data sets analyzed by computers to evaluate the health of passing trains, identifying conditions otherwise undetectable to the human eye. Detectors are equipped with thermal, acoustic, visual and force sensors that alert us to potentially dangerous conditions, enabling BNSF to stop trains until the conditions are addressed and any safety issues are resolved.

Even before this report was released, BNSF had begun installing Vehicle Track Inspection (VTI) technology on locomotives and had been proactively implementing Automated Track Inspection (ATI) , which analyzes geometry testing and visual inspection data and applies a score along with other factors. This score produces a visual inspection frequency which may require BNSF track inspectors to inspect the track more frequently than minimum FRA requirements. BNSF also has standards for rail replacement based on size of rail, based on wear limits, as well as replacement criteria based on defect rates. These limits are constantly evaluated and are programmed into BNSF capital plan. In fact, this year, BNSF will replace 346 miles of rail and approximately 2.8 million rail ties.”

Seven lawsuits were filed against Amtrak and the BNSF Railway Company Monday on behalf of se…

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