An Amtrak Acela train headed toward New York City’s Penn Station at 125 mph literally broke apart and separated as it was heading through Maryland on Tuesday, according to a report from the New York Post. Nonetheless, it’s the latest in a dreadful string of accidents for Amtrak, including a crash just two days ago in South Carolina that left at least two people dead and 70 injured.
The train was heading from Washington D.C. to New York City when the incident happened around 11:20 a.m., reports the Post, which cited one source saying it was traveling at 125 mph.
“Someone could have been walking through the train when that happened and fell to their death,” said the source.
A photo shows the connector between two coupled trains broken and separated.
Ever since a train derailed over a Washington highway in December, Amtrak’s endured a number of glaring crashes to start 2018. Last week, a train carrying Republican congress members hit a truck, killing at least one person.
Reached by Jalopnik, an Amtrak spokesperson said that a train heading from D.C. to Boston “experienced a mechanical issue when two of the train’s cars separated.”
“There were approximately 52 passengers aboard, who were transferred to Northeast Regional Train 180,” Amtrak said. “There were no reported injuries to customers or crew. We are currently investigating the cause of the car separation, inspecting every Acela trainset, and taking any necessary actions to prevent a reoccurrence.”
More as we get it.
Update (3:30 p.m.): Here’s a look at what transpired from one of the passengers: