SEATTLE — Amtrak Cascades will resume service Nov. 18 on the Point Defiance bypass between Tacoma and Olympia, nearly four years after a deadly derailment there.
The first train to use the bypass is scheduled to leave Seattle at 7:22 a.m. and arrive at the new Tacoma Dome station at 8:08 a.m., according to an Amtrak statement. The first northbound train will leave Eugene, Oregon, at 5:30 a.m., stop in Portland and arrive in Tacoma at 10:54 a.m., The Seattle Times reported.
Amtrak said eight trains — including Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight — will use the bypass daily, with additional trains added as COVID-19 restrictions ease.
Additional safety measures and most of the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations have been implemented following the 2017 derailment, Amtrak said. The other recommendations are being pursued, the statement said.
Key among the improvements is the installment of activated positive train control, which uses GPS technology to stop or slow a train before a collision or derailment occurs.
The NTSB first called for widespread use of the crash-preventing technology in 1990 and in 2008, Congress mandated that it be installed on every passenger route and high hazardous material route across the U.S. within seven years.
The railroad industry has been slow to act, however.
On Dec. 18, 2017, Amtrak 501 was on its inaugural run on the new, faster rail line when it careened off the tracks near Olympia. Rail cars left an overpass, crashing onto rush-hour traffic on Interstate 5. Three people were killed and 62 injured.
The NTSB placed primary blame for the crash on Sound Transit, which owns the $181 million corridor, for failing to require safety improvements near the curve, where the 80 mph (129 kph) speed limit abruptly dropped to 30 mph (48 kph).
In addition to installing activated positive train control, Amtrak said it has also implemented policies and processes to identify and mitigate risks.
