NTSB concludes rock debris caused Vermont train derailment

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the cause of a 2015 Amtrak train derailment in Vermont was debris on the tracks from a rock slide.

The Amtrak train was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it hit rocks that had fallen onto the track from a ledge in Northfield, spilling the locomotive and a passenger car down an embankment, derailing three other cars. Four train employees and three passengers were injured.

After the accident, geologists identified two other locations where rock slide mitigation was recommended. The report issued Wednesday says the railroad put in speed restrictions at those two areas.