VRE Train Derails, Injuring Five

Passengers head for a second train sent to pick them up after disembarking from a derailed Virginia Railway Express train just north of Marine Corps Base Quantico at the end of Possum Point Road in Prince William County, Va., Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006. Several people were injured when the train derailed while passing through a switch on the tracks. (AP Photo/The Potomac News, Dylan Moore) **MANDATORY CREDIT** (Dylan Moore, The Potomac News via AP)

The engine and three cars of a train carrying 400 passengers derailed just north of Quantico in Prince William County early this morning as the region was draped in fog, injuring five people, fire and rescue officials said.

Virginia Railway Express train No. 304 jumped the tracks just before 7 a.m., said Capt. Tim Taylor, spokesman for Prince William County fire and rescue services.

Taylor said five people were taken to the hospital, four of them with minor injuries. One person was transported to a hospital in an advanced life support ambulance, he said, although it was not immediately clear whether the injured person had a medical condition or had sustained injuries from the derailment.

VRE spokeswoman Wendy Lemieux said four people were injured in the derailment.

"The train stayed upright after it derailed, minimizing injuries on site," Taylor said. He said the train was carrying 400 passengers and three crewmembers.

All train traffic in the area has been halted, Taylor said, creating a major headache for train commuters.

Virginia Railway Express cancelled trains Nos. 306, 308 and 310 out of Fredericksburg after the derailment, advising passengers to find alternative forms of transportation. Amtrak also suspended service between the District and Richmond, according to VRE spokesman Mark Roeber.

"All traffic on the Fredericksburg line is halted because the train is blocking both tracks," Roeber said. He said thousands of train commuters will be affected by the derailment since each train can hold 800 to 900 people.

"Clearly it's had a big impact on this morning's commute," Roeber said.

VRE spokeswoman Lemieux said the company did not expect to have any more train service on the Fredericksburg-D.C. line today. She said afternoon and evening riders can be bused from Franconia-Springfield to their destinations.

Road traffic in the area did not seem to be immediately impacted, police said.

"Route 1 and I-95 are flowing normally," said Capt. John Bogert, spokesman for the Prince William County police.

Staff writer Steven Ginsberg contributed to this report.