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Commuter train jumps tracks outside Washington, injuring at least four

Associated Press

QUANTICO, Va. – A commuter train carrying 400 passengers toward Washington derailed during Thursday morning’s rush hour, injuring at least four people and tying up rail travel.The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating what caused the engine and the last three cars of the Virginia Railway Express train to jump off the tracks just north of Quantico.Three passengers and the conductor were injured, said Mark Roeber, a VRE spokesman. All were treated and released from hospitals.Prince William County Police officer John Bogert said a fifth person was taken from the crash in a life-support unit, but he could not say if the person suffered an injury or had some other medical condition.Passenger and freight rail service, including Amtrak and CSX routes, were disrupted in both directions.About 15 Amtrak trains were delayed or canceled, and about 3,000 passengers were affected, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said.The line, owned by CSX, also carries 30 to 35 freight trains daily.CSX spokesman Gary Cease said workers and heavy equipment were being brought to the site to repair the tracks and get the trains back on the rails.Also Thursday, an Amtrak train in California slammed in to the empty trailer of a semi-truck at nearly 80 mph Thursday morning, injuring its driver, the state highway patrol said. None of the train’s passengers was hurt.The driver said he did not see or hear the warning equipment near the tracks northwest of Bakersfield.—On the Net:http://www.vre.orghttp://www.csx.comVail, Colorado


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