According to CSX records the fatal train accident involving Amtrak and CSX was caused by incorrect information provided by a CSX employee.
The signal system that could have notified the engineer of the Amtrak train that it was being sent down the wrong track was being upgraded and had been shut off. Safety procedures require an on-site employee to make sure the switch that directs a train to a specific track is in the correct position.
The Amtrak train stopped five miles from the site of the accident and waited for the CSX dispatcher to give him the go-ahead. Once the CSX conductor informed the dispatcher the switch was in the proper position the Amtrak train was given permission to proceed. Unfortunately, the switch was not in the correct position and the Amtrak train was sent down a side track where it collided with a parked CSX freight train. The engineer and conductor were killed in the accident and 116 passengers were injured.
Incorrect information from CSX employee led to Sunday’s fatal crash
