Derailment of Amtrak Train No. 5-17 on Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Track
near Nodaway, Iowa, March 17, 2001 Accident No.: DCA-01-MR-003
Location: Nodaway, Iowa
Date of Accident: March 17, 2001
Time: 11:40 p.m. central standard time
Railroads: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Fatalities: 1
Injuries: 77
Property Damage: $3.38 million
Type of Accident: Derailment

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Amtrak train No. 5-17 had been operating over class 4 track belonging to the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF)1 Creston Subdivision at the time of the derailment. A broken rail was discovered at the point of derailment.----------------

Whats "Class 4 Track"?

Class 1: freight 19/pass 15
Class 2: 25/40
Class 3: 40/60
Class 4: 60/80*
Class 5: 70/90*
Class 6: 110/110
Class 7: 125
Class 8: 150**
Class 9: 180**

*Train control rules restrict max speed to 79 MPH
**No simultaneous operation of freight with 150 MPH passenger; no freight allowed on Class 9.

There isn't any Class 9 track in the US; there are 18 miles of Class 8 on Amtrak's NEC.

For each class, FRA defines requirements in terms of:

- track geometry standards
- number of good ties
- some other parameters including inspection types and frequencies

If you're interested, go to www.fra.dot.gov

There is also an "excepted track" category, which can fall below FRA Class I. Operation is permitted at 10 MPH, no passenger trains of any kind and no hazardous materials.