TRANSIT: Amtrak has the worst track record for passenger safety, data reveals

May 14, 2015

Amtrak trains have wrecked at a steadily higher rate since a below-average crash rate in 2012. 

Overall train accidents have been decreasing over the past few years, but surged in 2015 and Amtrak is the biggest offender.

In the first two months of 2015, Amtrak reported 18 accidents, the highest rate of accidents compared to all other trains and commuter trains.

Amtrak’s lackluster record and its most recent fatal accident that killed seven people and injured dozens, has sparked the longstanding debate on how to improve national railroad safety.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the Amtrak train was traveling at 100 mph, twice the legal speed limit in that area of the track before it crashed.

Train accidents on Amtrak doubled at the beginning of the year, compared with the same period the year previous, according to CNBC's analysis of data from the Federal Railroad Administration. Amtrak's trains were in 3.25 accidents for every million miles traveled, higher than the average 2.6 for all railroads.

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