Amtrak train derails in Vermont

Amtrak Train 55, known as the Vermonter, derailed yesterday morning near Northfield, Vt., after reportedly striking debris from a rock slide on the track.

The train was traveling from Saint Albans, Vt., to Washington, D.C., when it went off the track, according to Amtrak. The initial injury count was seven people: one crew member was seriously injured; four passengers and two crew members had non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
 
The FRA tweeted on Twitter that the preliminary cause of the incident was a rock slide, but the official cause will be determined after an investigation. The
National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating the incident.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said in remarks to news media that speed does not appear to have been a factor. A freight train had traveled over the same segment of track the night before without incident. The governor described the subsequent rock slide and Amtrak derailment as "an act of nature, really beyond the control of anyone conducting the train or running the train or maintaining the track," according to The Washington Post.

The train's locomotive and a passenger car slid down a hill, and other cars also left the track, the newspaper reported.

Amtrak said today on its official blog that Vermonter service will be modified today and tomorrow.