Aerial view of the Amtrak Cascades train derailment in 2017 near DuPont, Wash. (National Transportation Safety Board via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017_Cascades_derailment_aerial_view_from_NTSB_preliminary_report.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>)

Aerial view of the Amtrak Cascades train derailment in 2017 near DuPont, Wash. (National Transportation Safety Board via Wikimedia Commons)

Amtrak to resume service on bypass 4 years after derailment

Eight trains will use the Point Defiance bypass between Tacoma and Olympia daily starting Nov. 18.

  • By Wire Service
  • Wednesday, November 10, 2021 2:28pm
  • Northwest

Associated Press

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.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Additional safety measures and most of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) 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.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Northwest

Members of the California National Guard and federal law enforcement stand guard as people protest outside of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, on Tuesday. (Philip Cheung/The New York Times)
Ferguson prepares for possibility of Trump deploying troops in Washington

The governor planned to meet with the state’s top military official Tuesday, after the president sent the National Guard and Marines to respond to Los Angeles protests.

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Washington governor wants agencies to look for deeper cuts

The state’s financial turmoil hasn’t subsided. It may get worse when a new revenue forecast comes out this month.

Washington stuck mid-pack in national education ranking

The new report underscores shortfalls in reading and math proficiency. Still, the state’s top school official says data show progress recovering from the pandemic.

Washington’s Supreme Court slashes public defender caseload limits

The changes will take effect Jan. 1, but local governments get a decade to comply. For cash-strapped counties, it may not be enough time without more state aid.

Bill Lucia / Washington State Standard
State Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, left, asks a question during a February 2024 hearing.
New WA agency investigating police deadly force incidents sees budget cuts

The Office of Independent Investigations still plans to expand into more parts of the state this year.

Beginning on July 1, 2026, those living in Washington who qualify can begin accessing the long-term care benefit, which has a lifetime cap of $36,500, adjusted over time for inflation. Eligible beneficiaries living out of state can tap into benefits starting July 1, 2030. (Washington State Department of Social & Health Services)
Washington’s long-term care program nears liftoff

It’s been criticized, revised and survived a ballot box challenge. Now, the first-in-nation benefit is on track for a 2026 rollout.

File photo 
State auditors are beginning investigations into whether police departments are properly reporting officer misconduct.
WA looks to tighten compliance under police accountability law

Washington state auditors have started investigating whether local police departments are properly… Continue reading

Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard 
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside Solicitor General Noah Purcell, left, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Legal Director Matt Adams, right, outside a Seattle courthouse where federal appeals court judges heard arguments over President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship on Wednesday.
Trump’s birthright citizenship order lands in Seattle appeals court

The U.S. Supreme Court, meanwhile, hasn’t ruled whether a decision from one judge can block a president’s executive order from taking effect nationwide.

Travis Decker is suspected of killing his 3 daughters Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia. (Courtesy GoFundMe)
Manhunt expands for state dad accused of killing his 3 daughters

The bodies of the three Wenatchee girls were found June 2 near the father’s abandoned pickup.

Court fight pits religious group that doesn’t want LGBTQ+ employees against WA law

The Union Gospel Mission of Yakima argues it can’t be forced to hire workers that don’t align with its biblical values. The case may end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside California Attorney General Rob Bonta, right, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, left, before an event at Town Hall Seattle on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
Washington’s attorney general sees no signs of legal battles with Trump letting up

Nick Brown described a “crisis” surrounding the president’s use of executive power and said he expects to file more lawsuits against the administration, in addition to 20 brought so far.

An employee bags groceries for a customer at a checkout counter inside a grocery store in 2017. (Bloomberg photo by Luke Sharrett)
Thousands in WA at risk of losing food benefits under GOP bill in Congress

Tens of thousands of low-income Washingtonians could lose federal food assistance if… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.