A look at Amtrak s accident record suggests the company indeed suffers from maintenance problems. Federal reports obtained by Insight show that Amtrak had 71 derailments between January and November 2000, the most recent data available, up 25 from the same period in 1999. The average number of derailments per year for the prior five years was 49, indicating just how rough a year Amtrak had in 2000. According to Russel Hall, an Amtrak spokesman, the company has been unable to nail down the reasons for these increased derailments. I was told there was an increase.
Every derailment is unique.
He says a majority of derailments take place in the railyards and not on the main lines. But a scan of headlines shows Amtrak had severe problems with main-line derailments in 2000. Other derailed trains last year caught national attention in January and November. For people such as Delong who regularly use Amtrak, the derailments and delays are beginning to overwhelm the benefits of train travel. She says the train service has been going downhill at an increasing rate, a statement that conductors with whom Insight spoke tended to agree.