According to The New York Times, several passengers reported a "bumpy" ride before the derailment. NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg stated that the Empire Builder derailment happened at a gradual right-hand curve, just prior to reaching a railroad switch at the entrance to a railway siding while travelling on the single-track mainline, contrary to previous speculation that a defect with the switch itself caused the accident. ![]() Three people on board were killed, and 49 others were injured, including seven who were hospitalized. The rear four cars (a Sightseer Lounge, two coaches and a sleeper), all destined for Portland, tipped over after derailing. ![]() At 3:56 p.m., while traveling just under the speed limit of 79 mph, the eight rear cars derailed near the town of Joplin, Montana, located 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Helena. The westbound Empire Builder train 7/27, operating with two P42DC locomotives (units #74 and #38) and 10 railcars (1 baggage car followed by 9 Superliners), was carrying 149 passengers and 19 crew members at the time of the derailment. The last major Amtrak accident in Montana occurred in 1988, when an Empire Builder train hit a track buckle and derailed in Saco. BNSF conducted its most recent inspection of the section through Joplin on September 23, 2021. The derailment occurred on the Hi-Line, a portion of the BNSF's Northern Transcon. Trains are split or combined at Spokane, with the Portland section being at the rear of westbound trains. ![]() The Empire Builder is a long-distance passenger rail service operated by Amtrak traveling on tracks of the BNSF Railway between the cities of Chicago and Seattle or Portland.
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