WASHINGTON — Amtrak service between Washington Union Station and Alexandria, Va., has been suspended following the low-speed derailment this morning in a tunnel to the station, the Washington Post reports.
The derailment of the locomotive and a coach of Northeast Regional train No. 86 from Norfolk, Va., occurred at 8:47 a.m. One Amtrak employee was taken to the hospital for a minor medical condition, the Post reports, according to a DC fire department spokesman. No passengers were injured. Cars not involved in the derailment were moved to the L’Enfant station for unloading of about 200 passengers.
Numerous trains that normally operate south of Washington are originating or terminating in Washington as a result of the derailment, according to the Amtrak NEC Alerts Twitter feed.
Virginia Railway Express commuter rail service has also been “severely impacted,” VRE said in a service alert. The derailment will prevent VRE trains that had already arrived at Washington Union Station this morning from departing for afternoon service, so only five trains using equipment that had not yet reached Washington will be able to operate this afternoon. Details on those trains, departing from L’Enfant — three to Fredericksburg and three to Manassas — are available here.
VRE also cautions that Wednesday service will be affected and that it will provide updates this evening..
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