A train crossing at the site of a fatal Amtrak derailment in northern Missouri is on a statewide list for safety improvements from the Missouri Department of Transportation, according to state records reviewed by sister station KMBC 9 Investigates.Federal Railroad Administration records show no accidents at the train crossing near a deadly Amtrak train derailment in rural Chariton County before Monday’s crash.However, MODOT’s 2022 State Freight and Rail plan released in February listed the intersection at County Road 113 and Porche Prairie Road for installation of lights, gates and roadway improvements at the public crossing.The plan estimated the cost for improvements at $400,000. It lists projects for their ability to improve the “efficiency, intermodal and safety of freight shipments in Missouri.”Another draft document for anticipated project schedules listed the improvements to the intersection in MODOT’s 2022 state fiscal year project budget. However, it is unclear when or if that work was scheduled to begin. A spokeswoman for MoDOT said Monday evening that MODOT’s state office is working to provide answers to questions about the schedule of safety improvements at the intersection.Meanwhile, Federal Railroad Administration records list the BNSF Railway Company as the primary operating railroad for the tracks where the derailment happened. Trains can travel upwards of 90 mph through the crossing, according to a United States Department of Transportation Crossing Inventory Form.Twenty-nine trains traveled through the crossing between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. in 2019. An identical number crossed the intersection from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m, according to the form. Amtrak passenger trains cross twice per day at the crossing, according to the FRA data.
A train crossing at the site of a fatal Amtrak derailment in northern Missouri is on a statewide list for safety improvements from the Missouri Department of Transportation, according to state records reviewed by sister station KMBC 9 Investigates.
Federal Railroad Administration records show no accidents at the train crossing near a deadly Amtrak train derailment in rural Chariton County before Monday’s crash.
However, MODOT’s 2022 State Freight and Rail plan released in February listed the intersection at County Road 113 and Porche Prairie Road for installation of lights, gates and roadway improvements at the public crossing.
The plan estimated the cost for improvements at $400,000. It lists projects for their ability to improve the “efficiency, intermodal and safety of freight shipments in Missouri.”
Another draft document for anticipated project schedules listed the improvements to the intersection in MODOT’s 2022 state fiscal year project budget. However, it is unclear when or if that work was scheduled to begin. A spokeswoman for MoDOT said Monday evening that MODOT’s state office is working to provide answers to questions about the schedule of safety improvements at the intersection.
Meanwhile, Federal Railroad Administration records list the BNSF Railway Company as the primary operating railroad for the tracks where the derailment happened.
Trains can travel upwards of 90 mph through the crossing, according to a United States Department of Transportation Crossing Inventory Form.
Twenty-nine trains traveled through the crossing between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. in 2019. An identical number crossed the intersection from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m, according to the form.
Amtrak passenger trains cross twice per day at the crossing, according to the FRA data.
