Investigation Continues Into Deadly Amtrak Derailment
By Mark Abrams
CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing their probe of yesterday's train derailment in Delaware County.
Investigators looking into the collision aren't saying very much at this point.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Ryan Frigo explains what they know so far:
"At approximately 7:50 a.m., Amtrak No. 89, the Palmetto, from New York Penn to Savannah, Georgia struck a piece of heavy equipment on the tracks."
Two backhoe operators were killed and 35 people aboard the train, including the locomotive engineer, were hurt.
Early Monday morning, crews backed the cars off the tracks and removed the damaged locomotive to a secure location for a more detailed inspection of the damage.
Amtrak crews using a special track grinding machine worked over the affected stretch of rail to prepare it for a return to service.
SEPTA commuter trains as well as Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Acela trains began appearing about the time of the morning rush on other tracks passing through the area.