HAYWARD, Calif. — A wire service reports that an Amtrak train bound for Seattle derailed after hitting an unknown object, slightly injuring seven people, a company spokeswoman said Thursday.
There were 287 passengers and 23 crew members aboard the Coast Starlight, which runs daily from Los Angeles to Seattle, when the accident occurred about 10:10 p.m. Wednesday, said Amtrak spokeswoman Veernae Graham.
The locomotive hit an unidentified object on the tracks, which are owned by Union Pacific and leased by Amtrak. Six cars went off the tracks, but all of them were standing upright, Graham said.
Four passengers were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released. Three others were taken to area hospitals for minor injuries, Graham said.
The train was traveling about 60 mph at a junction that allows for speeds up to 70 mph, Graham said.
Passengers were being bused Thursday to destinations beyond the accident site. The crash occurred 25 miles east of San Francisco.
The crash is the latest in a string of setbacks for the struggling passenger railroad. Last month a train derailed near the nation’s capital, injuring more than 100 people.