Just two weeks ago, the mayor of Lakewood (just north of Dupont where the Amtrak train derailed) warned there would be accidents if this were to go through.
LAKEWOOD, Wash. – City leaders gave a chilly reception to a new high-speed rail plan for Amtrak trains that starts running later this month.
The idea is to use the Sound Transit tracks that cut through the city and open them up to Amtrak trains. However, huge safety concerns remain.
We came across this warning sign at the Lakewood station. The testing is underway now, but we'll see high-speed trains start regular trips with passengers by the middle of the month #komonews pic.twitter.com/adKdgNNSw8
— Joel Moreno (@JoelMorenoKOMO) December 5, 2017
State transportation workers came to Lakewood Monday night to share progress on the bypass project.
Right now, passenger trains, including Amtrak Cascades, must slow down due to curves and single-track tunnels on the BNSF Railway main line tracks near Point Defiance and along southern Puget Sound. This project reroutes passenger trains to a bypass rail line along I-5. The proposed route is the same that Sound Transit uses for Sounder commuter rail service to Lakewood.
Recent track upgrades will allow Amtrak to send its locomotives through at 79 miles an hour. City officials in Lakewood have long been worried about the dangers residents could face as these trains race through the city.
“We want to make sure as many people as possible understand what’s going on, understand we are starting a new service on December 18th and ensure that they know how to stay safe around the railroad tracks,” said Janet Matkin with WSDOT.
Amtrak said the bypass route saves railway passengers about 10 minutes and improves on-time reliability.
this wreck of a train and the overpass..stinks..was used by freight trains and so now the morons who run amcrack..most likely never checked the tracks there.they do not own or maintain them.oh wonder of wonders..thank heaven the train had only 80+ souls but people below I think were killed???and on the first trip..oh what lawsuits will happen…3 days ago I was thinking about movie big time train wrecks..one of the best in recent times was the one in the film..super8..at night no less..took me over and hour to find my copy…I have a large amount of films..what I do not have is the 1960 burt Lancaster one..the train..then greatest show on earth..demille 1950s approx…then I have the bridge on the river kaui..and sinatras von ryans express…long story short..i just had this mental itch about train wrecks in films….I feel so sorry for the victims of this wreck..and im afraid there will be more than 6 dead…track maintenance is the key..lack of it!
Monday’s deadly Amtrak train derailment appears to have been caused by an object on the railway, according to a government official briefed on the crash.
A preliminary investigation suggests maintenance problems are unlikely to blame because the incident took place on brand-new tracks, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
At least six people were killed and the death toll is expected to rise, the official said.
The Amtrak 501 plunged off an overpass onto I-5 near Lacey, Washington, sometime before 7:45 a.m., during its inaugural run between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
https://nypost.com/2017/12/18/object-on-tracks-may-be-cause-of-deadly-amtrak-derailment/