Twenty-nine Amtrak trains derailed in 2014, compared with 43 in 2006. But the number has slowly climbed after a significant drop to 21 derailments in 2010, federal records show.
Six passengers died and at least 100 were injured when an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night along the busy Northeast Corridor line.
It's one of the worst accidents along the Northeast Corridor since a 1987 Amtrak and Conrail train collision near Baltimore, which killed 16 people and injured 175 people, according to The Wall Street Journal.
JEWEL SAMAD / AFP / Getty Images
Amtrak has nationwide seen far fewer derailments when compared to 10 years ago, according to data compiled by the Federal Railroad Administration. But those numbers began to climb after a steep drop in 2010.
Here's the number of derailments per year:
• 2006: 43
• 2007: 29
• 2008: 44
• 2009: 35
• 2010: 21
• 2011: 27
• 2012: 28
• 2013: 25
• 2014: 29
• 2015 (as of February): 9
In all, Amtrak saw a total of 751 train accidents from 2006 to February 2015, of which 289 were caused by derailments, according to the FRA's Office of Safety Analysis.
Less than a week ago, an Amtrak train with 171 passengers collided with a truck in Louisiana, killing the truck's driver and injuring two train passengers. In March, 55 people were injured when an Amtrak train derailed in North Carolina after colliding with a truck.
AP Photo/WTVD-11, File
The system became federal law after a 2008 collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a freight train left 25 people dead and 101 injured, the LA Times reported.
Amtrak planned to spend between $300 million and $625 million to meet the 2015 deadline, according to a December 2012 memorandum by the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General.
The report stated that while Amtrak had made "notable progress" in implementing PTC — including safety upgrades on the Northeast Corridor — it still faced "significant challenges."
"Overcoming some of these challenges by the end of 2015 will require increased attention and emphasis," the memo, addressed to Donald A. Stadtler, Jr., Vice President, Operations, said. One of the most serious challenges was acquiring radio frequencies along the Northeast Corridor, which would transmit speed limits to a train's computers – telling it to slow or stop as needed.
Another challenge was ensuring Amtrak had enough funds to implement PTC fully by the deadline. The memo said Amtrak "cannot rely on the federal government to provide extra funds."
"The project (PTC) is very close to being complete and on time, even with significant
hurdles," an Amtrak PTC Engineer said in the January issue of Amtrak Ink. "We are hopeful that the new ... system will be operational by the end of 2015."
Amtrak officials didn't immediately return a request for comment.
A House Appropriations panel is discussing a possible cut in Amtrak's federal funding on Wednesday. POLITICO reported that the House could slash Amtrak's annual funding from about $1.4 billion to $1.13 billion.
The deadliest Amtrak accident in its history is the 1993 train derailment in Alabama that killed 47 people.
The Amtrak Sunset Limited plunged off a bridge into a bayou north of Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 22, 1993.
Mark Foley / ASSOCIATED PRESS
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