Amtrak train derailment in Washington disrupts NC train routes

The Carolinian and other long-distance passenger trains that pass through Raleigh were disrupted Tuesday morning because of a derailment at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The northbound Carolinian, which goes from Charlotte to New York City, ended its run in Raleigh on Tuesday. Amtrak said the southbound Carolinian and the Palmetto between New York and Savannah, Georgia, would end their runs in Washington, D.C.

Amtrak also canceled two southbound Florida trains, the Silver Meteor and Silver Star, and the southbound Crescent, which runs from New York to New Orleans via Greensboro and Charlotte.

Carolinian passengers who were already on the train were informed of the disruption just after the stop in Burlington.

Darlene Bell was on her way from Charlotte to New York when she and other passengers were advised to get off in Durham and take a train back to Charlotte. Bell said she has two medical appointments in New York and would try to take a bus to the city.

“I pray for the people who were on the train in front of us; I hope they’re all right,” Bell said. “But this is really low. It’s crazy.”

On Twitter, Amtrak said the cancellations were due to “a disabled train blocking the tracks.” Conductors aboard the Carolinian told passengers the incident was a derailment but did not provide any details.

Local media reported that an Amtrak train had derailed in a tunnel at the station, blocking access to and from Virginia and points south.

Washington fire officials said at 9:30 a.m. that the derailment appeared to be “minor in nature” and that no injuries had been reported. They later said two cars had some off the tracks but remained upright and that one Amtrak employee had been taken to a hospital for a “minor medical condition.”

That’s good news for Carolinian passengers like Vanessa Roberts, who like Bell said she was more worried about the people on the derailed train. Roberts, who is retired, was traveling from Kannapolis to Philadelphia, near her home in New Jersey, and said she would make it home eventually.

“We’re just lucky it wasn’t us,” she said. “So I’m OK with it. We’ll make it work.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.