(The following story by A.J. Panian appeared on the Tribune Review website on May 6.)
PITTSBURGH — Two freight trains that derailed Sunday in Westmoreland County caused the cancellation of several Amtrak trains slated to arrive at or depart from the agency’s Pittsburgh station.
“Any time there’s a freight derailment, it creates havoc for us (Amtrak) and our customers,” said Betty Johnston, an Amtrak-Pittsburgh ticket agent, on Monday.
A westbound CSX Corp. train jumped the track just before 10 a.m. in the village of Reduction in South Huntingdon. Minutes later, an eastbound CSX Corp. train on the route hit one of the westbound train’s disjointed cars.
In all, 22 cars were forced from the tracks, subsequently clogging the route for any subsequent rail traffic, including Amtrak’s Capitol Limited Line that runs daily between Washington and Chicago.
On Sunday evening, Amtrak-Pittsburgh began an all-night process of arranging for alternate forms of service and accommodations for customers scheduled for train travel east and west of the city on the Capitol Limited Line, Johnston said.
Amtrak-Pittsburgh received a train on the Pennsylvanian Line from New York City at 8 p.m. About 20 passengers on that train who planned to travel via train farther west were instead bused by Myers Bus Line to Toledo, Ohio, and to Chicago, Johnston said.
“They’re not happy because they wanted to ride the train, but they realize they can ride the bus and it’s not messing up their plans too much,” she said.
Amtrak-Pittsburgh received a charter bus at 11 p.m. from Washington with an unspecified number of passengers of a canceled train trip, Johnston said. Amtrak provided one night’s lodging to those on that bus with plans to travel farther west.
One train trip from Washington to Pittsburgh was canceled and no alternate transportation was offered to 245 passengers, said Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell. An unspecified number of additional Pittsburgh-bound passengers in Washington were rerouted via train through New York City, Connell said.
Only one Amtrak train from Pittsburgh to Washington was canceled yesterday. The passengers were transported via Myers charter buses to the nation’s capital. Three of them each carried 50 to 60 passengers. The fourth — which carried about 20 passengers — made local stops in Connellsville, Cumberland, Md., Martinsburg, Va., and Harper’s Ferry, Va., along the way.
“It could’ve been worse,” Johnston said.
The westbound track at the accident scene was opened at 7:45 a.m. yesterday, while the eastbound track was opened at 12:40 p.m., said CSX Corp. spokesman Garrick Francis.