Virginia Railway Express (VRE) trains experienced delays or cancellations after an Amtrak train derailed in a tunnel outside of Union Station. News4’s Dominique Moody reports.
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) trains were delayed or canceled to Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning, a day after two cars of an Amtrak train derailed in the tunnel entrance to Union Station.
Amtrak train 86 was going at a low speed on its way from Norfolk, Virginia, to D.C. when the two cars derailed in the tunnel at about 8:50 a.m. The train stayed upright, according to Amtrak and fire officials.
No injuries were initially reported in the derailment, but medics did evaluate one passenger, D.C. Fire and EMS said.
"Due to yesterday’s incident involving an Amtrak train just south of Union Station, VRE service will continue to be impacted today," @VARailExpress tweeted. "Train traffic is still suspended going into and out of Union Station, and we still are unable to retrieve our manager."
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One Amtrak employee was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Amtrak said. It's unclear if that's the same person medics were examining at the scene.
All passengers who were on the train were taken to the L’Enfant VRE station and provided alternate transportation to Union Station, Amtrak said.
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Delays and cancellations
Amtrak suspended all service between D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday while crews inspected the area and worked to "re-rail" the two cars that went off the tracks.
The tunnel to Union Station remained blocked on Wednesday morning. Several VRE trains remained stuck in the rail yard north of the tunnel as of 6 a.m. VRE is also waiting to retrieve some of its equipment.
In the morning, passengers said the nearly 30-minute delay across the Potomac River was an improvement to Tuesday’s commute.
“For me yesterday just to get back home almost between 2.5 to 3 hours,” a passenger said.
“It was packed, I've never seen it so crowded. There was standing room only,” another passenger said.
In a 10:30 a.m. update, VRE said afternoon trains would leave from L’Enfant Plaza and there would not be service from Union Station.
The VRE Fredericksburg and Manassas, Virginia, lines are experiencing delays and cancellations. Check the latest service information on VRE's Twitter account.
Amtrak trains coming from the south may also have service disruptions. Check the latest service information on Amtrak's Twitter account.
News4 reached out to Amtrak to see when full service would resume and what caused the derailment but did not immediately receive a response.
“This is a major route through, you would think these tracks would be pristine. The Nation's Capital, right?” a passenger said.
This is a developing story. Stay with News4 for more updates.
