The mayor of a city near the scene of Monday’s deadly train crash in Washington state warned earlier this month that the start of high-speed service was bound to end in disaster.
During a Dec. 4 meeting of the Lakewood City Council, Mayor Don Anderson blasted plans by the Washington State Department of Transportation to let Amtrak trains travel through the city at up to 79 mph without first installing overpasses or other means of keeping motor vehicles and pedestrians away from the tracks.
“Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens,” Anderson said, according to video posted online by KOMO Radio.
The state DOT established a new Amtrak route from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, to help shave 10 minutes off the trip.
“We want to make sure as many people as possible understand what’s going on, understand we are starting a new service on December 18th and ensure that they know how to stay safe around the railroad tracks,” DOT official Janet Matkin said during the Dec. 4 meeting.
At least three people were killed, and more were injured, when Amtrak’s 501 train derailed and plunged off an overpass near Lacey, about 20 miles southwest of Lakewood, during its inaugural run.