Amtrak has operated most intercity passenger rail transportation in the United States since May 1, 1971. This list contains serious incidents – those with deaths or more than 20 injuries of passengers or railroad personnel – that have involved Amtrak trains. (It does not include most grade crossing accidents and trespasser strikes that did not cause significant injury aboard the trains.) All serious incidents involving Amtrak are investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); incidents with suspected criminal activity (notably a 1995 wreck in Arizona) are also investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The most number of fatalities in a single incident was 47 in the Big Bayou Canot crash in 1993, when the Sunset Limited fell off a bridge that had been struck by a barge eight minutes earlier. Five other incidents have caused ten or more deaths: a 1987 collision with freight locomotives in Maryland, a 1971 derailment in Illinois, a 1996 collision with a commuter train in Maryland, a 1999 grade crossing accident in Illinois, and a 1977 grade crossing accident in Florida. A 1990 derailment and collision with a commuter train in Massachusetts caused 453 injuries but no deaths.
| Date | Train | Location | Type of incident | Deaths | Injuries | Description | NTSB report or docket | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 10, 1971 | Salem, Illinois | Derailment | 11 | 163 | The train derailed due to a seized axle. | RAR-72-5 | ||
| March 18, 1973 | East Palestine, Ohio | Derailment | 1 | 19[1] | ||||
| May 30, 1974 | Winamac, Indiana | Derailment | 0 | 29[2] | ||||
| August 12, 1974 | Wake Forest, North Carolina | Derailment | 0 | 28[3] [4] | ||||
| October 1, 1975 | Pulaski, Tennessee | Derailment | 0 | 31 | The train derailed due to spreading of the rail. | RAR-76-6 | ||
| November 19, 1975 | Turboliner | Elwood, Illinois | Grade crossing | 0 | 41 | The train was struck by a dump truck at a grade crossing. | RHR-76-2 | |
| June 30, 1976 | Goodman, Mississippi | Derailment | 1 | 51 | The train derailed due to track failure, caused by oscillation of the train from poor track quality. | |||
| December 15, 1976 | Marland, Oklahoma | Grade crossing | 3 | 11 | The train struck a tanker truck at a grade crossing. | |||
| December 16, 1976 | Ralston, Nebraska | Derailment | 0 | 63 | The train derailed due to defective track. | RAR-77-8 | ||
| January 16, 1977 | New Castle, Alabama | Derailment | 0 | 76 | The train derailed due to oscillations from defective track. | RAR-77-9 | ||
| October 2, 1977 | Plant City, Florida | Grade crossing | 10 | 0 | The train struck a pickup truck at a grade crossing, killing all ten occupants of the truck. | RHR-78-2 | ||
| June 9, 1978 | Seabrook, Maryland | Train collision | 0 | 176 | A Conrail commuter train collided with the rear end of the Amtrak train. | RAR-79-3 | ||
| March 28, 1979 | Lohman, Montana | Derailment | 0 | 48 | The train derailed due to a cracked wheel. | RAR-79-7 | ||
| April 20, 1979 | Edison, New Jersey | Equipment collision | 0 | 73 | The train struck track maintenance equipment. | RAR-79-10 | ||
| October 2, 1979 | Lawrence, Kansas | Derailment | 2 | 69 | The train derailed on a curve due to excessive speed. | RAR-80-4 | ||
| October 12, 1979 | Harvey, Illinois | Train collision | 6 | 44 | The train collided with a parked Illinois Central Gulf Railroad freight train. | RAR-80-3 | ||
| March 14, 1980 | East Glacier Park, Montana | Derailment | 0 | 115 | The train derailed on a curve while leaving East Glacier Park station. | RAR-80-6 | ||
| April 2, 1980 | Lakeview, North Carolina | Train collision | 0 | 123 | The train collided head-on with a Seaboard Coast Line freight train. | RAR-80-8 | ||
| July 9, 1980 | Quaker City | Linden, New Jersey | Equipment collision | 1 | 17 | The train struck a rail protruding from a work train. | RAR-80-12 | |
| November 7, 1980 | Dobbs Ferry, New York | Train collision | 0 | 84 | A Conrail freight train collided with the Amtrak train. | RAR-81-04 | ||
| March 29, 1982 | Benjamin Franklin | Bristol, Pennsylvania | Train collision | 0 | 32 | A locomotive sent to rescue the disabled train collided with it. | RAR-82-05 | |
| June 15, 1982 | Emerson, Iowa | Derailment | 1 | 27 | The train derailed due to flooding of the tracks. | RAR-83-02 | ||
| June 23, 1982 | Gibson, California | Fire | 2 | 61 | A fire of unknown cause took place in a passenger car. | RAR-83-03 | ||
| April 3, 1983 | Rockfish, Virginia | Derailment | 0 | 24 | The train derailed due to debris from a landslide. | RAR-83-10 | ||
| July 28, 1983 | Wilmington, Illinois | Grade crossing | 0 | 21 | The train struck a delivery truck at the grade crossing. | RAR-84-02 | ||
| November 12, 1983 | Woodlawn, Texas | Derailment | 4 | 72 | The train derailed due to a cracked rail. | RAR-85-01 | ||
| March 5, 1984 | Kittrell, North Carolina | Derailment | 0 | 52 | The train derailed due to a broken axle on a locomotive. | RAR-85-03 | ||
| May 29, 1984 | Connellsville, Pennsylvania | Derailment | 0 | 23 | The train derailed due to a collapsed culvert. | RAR-86-01-SUM | ||
| July 7, 1984 | Williston, Vermont | Derailment | 5 | 29 | The train derailed due to a collapsed culvert. | RAR-85-14 | ||
| July 11, 1984 | McBee, South Carolina | Grade crossing | 2 | 5 | The train struck a gasoline tanker at a grade crossing.[5] | |||
| July 23, 1984 | Shoreliner New England Zip | Queens, New York | Train collision | 1 | 140 | The two trains collided head-on on the Hell Gate Line viaduct. | RAB-85-07 RAR-85-09 | |
| April 16, 1985 | Granby, Colorado | Derailment | 0 | 32 | The train derailed due to debris from a landslide. | RAR-86-01-SUM | ||
| October 9, 1986 | Fall River, Wisconsin | Derailment | 1 | 30 | The train derailed at a crossover due to an improperly designed signal system. | RAR-87-06 | ||
| January 4, 1987 | Chase, Maryland | Train collision | 16 | 174 | The train collided with three Conrail locomotives that had failed to stop at a signal. | RAR-88-01 | ||
| October 12, 1987 | Russell, Iowa | Train collision | 0 | 112 | The train collided with a work train due to an improperly set switch. | RAR-88-04 | ||
| January 29, 1988 | Chester, Pennsylvania | Equipment collision | 0 | 24 | The train struck track maintenance equipment. | RAR-89-01 | ||
| August 5, 1988 | Saco, Montana | Derailment | 0 | 106 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-89-03 | ||
| September 28, 1989 | Catlett, Virginia | Grade crossing | 3 | 81 | The train struck a fire engine at a grade crossing.[6] | |||
| December 19, 1989 | Stockton, California | Grade crossing | 3[7] | 50 | The train struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. | RHR-90-01 | ||
| April 23, 1990 | Batavia, Iowa | Derailment | 0 | 86 | The train derailed due to improperly installed track. | RAR-91-05 | ||
| May 2, 1990 | Crawfordsville, Indiana | Train collision | 0 | 30[8] | The train was mistakenly diverted onto a siding and collided with freight cars. | |||
| May 3, 1990 | Durant, Mississippi | Grade crossing | 0 | 41[9] | The train struck a log truck at a grade crossing. | |||
| December 12, 1990 | Boston, Massachusetts | Derailment Train collision | 0 | 453 | The train derailed due to excessive speed on a curve and collided with an MBTA Commuter Rail train at Back Bay station. | RAR-92-01 | ||
| July 31, 1991 | Lugoff, South Carolina | Derailment | 8 | 77 | The train derailed due to a set of switch points moving under the train. | RAR-93-02 | ||
| April 29, 1992 | Newport News, Virginia | Grade crossing | 1 | 54 | The train struck a dump truck at a grade crossing.[10] | |||
| August 12, 1992 | Newport News, Virginia | Derailment | 0 | 74 | The train derailed due to a sabotaged switch.[11] | |||
| September 22, 1993 | Mobile, Alabama | Derailment | 47 | 103 | The train struck a bridge that had been pushed out of alignment by a barge collision, fell into a river, and caught fire. | RAR-94-01 | ||
| May 16, 1994 | Selma, North Carolina | Train collision | 1 | 121 | The train collided with a trailer that was falling off a passing CSX freight train. | RAR-95-02 | ||
| August 3, 1994 | Batavia, New York | Derailment | 0 | 118 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-96-02 | ||
| October 9, 1995 | Palo Verde, Arizona | Derailment | 1 | 78 | The train derailed due to sabotage of the rails. | |||
| February 16, 1996 | Silver Spring, Maryland | Train collision | 11 | 26 | The train collided with a MARC commuter train that had overrun a signal. | RAR-97-02 | ||
| November 23, 1996 | / | Secaucus, New Jersey | Derailment | 0 | 43 | The Fast Mail derailed on the Portal Bridge, sideswiping the Carolinian. | SIR-97-01 | |
| August 9, 1997 | Kingman, Arizona | Derailment | 0 | 183 | The train derailed due to a damaged bridge. | RAR-98-03 | ||
| December 20, 1998 | Arlington, Texas | Derailment | 0 | 22 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-01-02 | ||
| March 15, 1999 | Bourbonnais, Illinois | Grade crossing | 11 | 122 | The train struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. | RAR-02-01 | ||
| February 5, 2001 | Syracuse, New York | Train collision | 0 | 62 | The train collided with a CSX freight train. | RAR-01-04 | ||
| March 17, 2001 | Nodaway, Iowa | Derailment | 1 | 77 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAB-02-01 | ||
| September 13, 2001 | Salduro, Utah | Train collision | 0 | 24 | The train collided with a Union Pacific freight train. | |||
| April 18, 2002 | Crescent City, Florida | Derailment | 4 | 142 | The train derailed due to a heat-induced kink in the track. | RAR-03-02 | ||
| July 29, 2002 | Kensington, Maryland | Derailment | 0 | 95 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAB-04-05 | ||
| April 1, 2003 | San Juan Capistrano, California | Employee collision | 2 | 0 | The train struck two track workers. | RAB-04-01 | ||
| May 6, 2003 | Hinesville, Georgia | Grade crossing | 2 | 27 | The train struck a lumber truck at a grade crossing.[12] | |||
| April 6, 2004 | Flora, Mississippi | Derailment | 1 | 46 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAR-05-02 | ||
| April 3, 2005 | Home Valley, Washington | Derailment | 0 | 30 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RAB-06-03 | ||
| November 30, 2007 | Chicago, Illinois | Train collision | 0 | 74 | The train collided with a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train. | RAR-09-01 | ||
| March 13, 2008 | Providence, Rhode Island | Employee collision | 1 | 2 | The train struck two track workers. | RAB-09-04 | ||
| June 24, 2011 | Fallon, Nevada | Grade crossing | 6[13] | The train was struck by a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. | ||||
| October 29, 2014 | Clermont, New York | Employee collision | 1 | 0 | The train struck a track worker. | RAB-15-06 | ||
| March 9, 2015 | Halifax, North Carolina | Grade crossing | 0 | 74 | The train struck a truck with an oversize load at a grade crossing. | HQ-2015-1025 | ||
| May 12, 2015 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Derailment | 8 | 185 | The train derailed due to excessive speed on a curve. | RAR-16-02 | ||
| March 14, 2016 | Cimarron, Kansas | Derailment | 0 | 28 | The train derailed due to track damage caused by an agricultural vehicle. | RAB-17-11 | ||
| April 3, 2016 | Chester, Pennsylvania | Equipment collision | 2 | 39 | The train struck a backhoe being used for track work. | RAR-17-02 | ||
| June 27, 2017 | Washington, D.C. | Employee collision | 2 | 0 | The train struck two CSX workers walking along their train. | RAB-19-01 | ||
| December 18, 2017 | DuPont, Washington | Derailment | 3 | 65 | The train derailed due to excessive speed on a curve. | RAR-19-01 | ||
| January 31, 2018 | Charter train | Crozet, Virginia | Grade crossing | 1 | 9 | The train struck a garbage truck at a grade crossing | HAB-19-03 | |
| February 4, 2018 | Cayce, South Carolina | Train collision | 2 | 92 | The train collided with a stopped CSX freight train. | RAR-19-02 | ||
| September 25, 2021 | Joplin, Montana | Derailment | 3[14] | 50 | The train derailed due to a track defect. | RIR-23-08 | ||
| June 27, 2022 | Southwest Chief | Mendon, Missouri | Grade crossing | 4 | 150[15] | The train derailed after colliding with a dump truck obstructing a railroad crossing. | RIR-23-09 |