WASHINGTON — A person was killed Tuesday around 12 p.m. when they were struck by Amtrak Train 174 in Northeast DC after trespassing onto the railroad tracks between Washington and New Carrolton, Maryland, according to train officials.
None of the 105 Amtrak customers or any crew members, and the death and crash are still reportedly being investigated.
"The safety of our customers, employees and public is our top priority. Amtrak has a police department with a national safety mission and a partnership with Operation Lifesaver, a national, nonprofit safety railroad education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way," said Amtrak in its statement.
There were 937 train deaths in the United States in 2019, according to Statista.
One of these deaths from 2019 was actually in Bowie, Maryland, where an Amtrak train hit and killed a person that was trespassing on the rail tracks at night.
According to Amtrak, it connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day — at speeds up to 150 mph — to more than 500 destinations. Amtrak is the operator of choice for state-supported corridor services in 17 states and for four commuter rail agencies.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrack has started to mandate that passengers and crew on its train wear face masks.
