NTSB Number RAR-01/02
NTIS Number PB2001-916302
PDF Document(486K)
Abstract: About 7:00 p.m., central standard time, on December
20, 1998, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) train No. 21,
the Texas Eagle, derailed on Union Pacific Railroad (UP) tracks within
the city limits of Arlington, Texas. Train 21 was en route from Chicago,
Illinois, to San Antonio, Texas. The train was traveling westbound at a
reduced
speed of about 36 mph due to reports of rough track near milepost 231.
Three locomotives and six cars derailed in a curve at milepost 230.62.
Of the 198 passengers and 18 employees on the train, 12 passengers and
10 employees were injured. No fatalities resulted from the accident. Damages
were estimated at about $1.4 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable
cause of the December 20, 1998, derailment of Amtrak train No. 21 in Arlington,
Texas, was (1) track conditions that were inadequate for the speed of the
train, (2) the decision of the dispatcher to delay notifying track department
personnel that a train crew had reported encountering rough track, (3)
the inadequate effort on the part of the engineer of Amtrak train 22 to
contact the dispatcher to report the observed track defect and its location,
(4) the failure of the tamper operator to adequately resurface the track
4 days before the accident, (5) inadequate Union Pacific Railroad oversight
of track maintenance work on this section of track, and (6) inadequate
Union Pacific Railroad requirements for restricting train speed over track
with reported rough conditions until track department
personnel can assess track condition.
The safety issues identified in this report are:
As a result of this accident investigation, the Safety Board makes
recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration, the Association
of American Railroads, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association,
and the Union
Pacific Railroad.