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Investigators Going Over Data Recorders and Examining Track Where Amtrak Derailed

Aired July 30, 2002 - 11:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators at work today are going over data recorders and examining the track where an Amtrak train derailed injuring a hundred passengers, trying to figure out why and what happened with yesterday's accident.

Our Kathleen Koch is live at the scene in Kensington, Maryland with the latest.

Kathleen, good morning.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, they are really moving at lightning speed and cleaning up the scene of this derailment. They have already uprighted the six double-decker passenger cars that had toppled off the track yesterday in that accident around 2:00 p.m., injuring some 97 people, critically injuring six. They also have already gotten into place three CSX engines that are pulling open freight cars that are loaded with what they call track panels. These are temporary panels that once they remove the broken and twisted pieces of rails will be laid right onto the rail bed so they can open up the stretch of track as soon as possible.

An NTSB track expert is here this morning. He is going over the track to see if he can spot anything that might have caused yesterday's accident.

Investigators are also carefully scrutinizing information on the train's event reporters, which are sort of like airplane's black boxes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL CARMODY, NTSB VICE CHAIRWOMAN: The event recorders told us the train was going about 60 miles an hour at the time of the derailment. The position of the controls after derailment were normal. We saw what we expected what we saw. The brakes had been engaged. There was nothing that we saw was oust ordinary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Investigators are interviewing the 12 crew members on the train, as well as many of the 161 passengers. Now the train's engineers -- engineer has apparently told investigators, that he, when he looked at the stretch of track ahead of the train, that he saw a heave in the track, sort of a bend in the track, and that's why he applied the brakes at that point. They will also be talking to the crew of a freight train that passed over this very same stretch of track about 45 minutes before the Capital Limited did yesterday afternoon an experienced no problems whatsoever.

And also, Daryn, since 9/11, investigators say they look very carefully at the possibility of sabotage. but they've found no signs of that just yet.

Back to you.

KAGAN: Kathleen, I understand one side effect of this is Amtrak was already experiencing an equipment shortage. They don't have a lot of these rail cars, and they may not be able to provide all of the service.

KOCH: Absolutely. That's A distinct possibility. They had already had some 100 cars and freight engines that were out of commission, and basically the cash-strapped train service was not able to repair it. So now this will make that situation even much worse, and could lead to the stoppage of some of the main lines around the country.

KAGAN: Kathleen Koch in Maryland. Kathleen, thank you.

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