# Derailment at Union Station DC



## Guest (Aug 3, 2018)

Any update on the derailment that took place at Union Station DC (or near it)? I hear it was the no luck Crescent (train 20) which derailed - affecting NE regional service south of DC (and I assume other trains including VRE and Silver service).


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## DCAKen (Aug 3, 2018)

https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2018/08/amtrak-train-derails-outside-dcs-union-station/


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## ParanoidAndroid (Aug 3, 2018)

It apparently delayed everything a few hours.


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## McLeansvilleAppFan (Sep 16, 2019)

I was on this train in a roomette with my wife on our 25th wedding trip. We were heading from Greensboro to Philadelphia. We had our honeymoon on the Crescent as well that took us from Charlotte to DC and then a few days later from DC to NYP and then up to Amsterdam, NY which is where my wife has family.

The train was under US moving at 10 mph I guess and then a sudden lurch and stop. I commented that this would not have been good playing on MSTS. I thought we were at the statio stop to be honest. Then a few minutes later Amtrak Police are walking through asking if everyone was alright. We sat there a good bit and finally did backup up a long ways past a VRE station or maybe two and then switched to another track to enter US where they switched out engines. I can't speak for the coach passengers but we were asked a few times if we needed anything, so I have no major complaints beyond getting into Philadelphia later than expected.

From what I was told a switch did not work correctly.

We had breakfast with an elderly man from deeper in the south that was getting a connection in DC to see his brother in the midwest. I guess he was connecting with the Cardinal. He would have had plenty of time but the train was late into Greensboro enough that we had about 5 minutes of night time in the sleeper, and it should had been a few hours of night time. I remember going over Cone Blvd in Greensboro and noting the sun was out and that is on the north side of the city. With this delay, and it was just a few yards from the station stop, I am not sure if he made it. They may have been able to get him off the train, but that is doubtful for safety reasons. I imagine letting him walk a few yards before the platform would have not been considered an option unless the train was being evacuated. It seems he mentioned he had not seen his brother in decades, and this was his first time ever on a train. Hopefully he made it.

The food we had was great and the all the staff on the train was very pleasant on both parts of the trip.


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