Commuter Train Derails Near Quantico

Hersman said the train caught parts of both the northbound and southbound rails at the switch point, mangling both sets. There was no immediate indication that the switch was in the wrong position or was damaged before the accident, and the board is investigating all possibilities, Hersman said.

Derailments occur most often around switches because of gaps in rails that aren't present along the uninterrupted steel of the rest of the line. A switch is also a vulnerable point because a train changes direction and momentum as it crosses.

Hersman said CSX reported that the track was last inspected Monday. She said she was trying to confirm that and added that regulations require that this type of track "be inspected several times a week."

VRE rider Scott W. Fischer, who was in one of the cars that stayed on the tracks, said he was able to see the switch after getting off, and "the rail looked split. It looked like it was in two pieces."

Fischer, a 10-year rider who lives in Fredericksburg, said, "Normally we jerk a little bit as we cross over the switch. We crossed over and started lurching, going forward and pushing back a little bit. We did that three or four times and came to a dead stop."

Hersman said the train's automatic brakes kicked in and the engineer said he applied the emergency brake. She said the train was going about 45 mph, as required, when it derailed.

Rider Amanda Martin said she heard an unusually loud noise. "And then all of a sudden, the car started swaying back and forth. It felt like it was about to tip over," said Martin, who was with her father, Andy. "I started to scream and I grabbed onto [my dad]. Then it just stopped . . . and I said, 'What . . . was that?"

The Martins said the train remained remarkably stable, as did passengers. "I called my mom and said, 'The train derailed. You're probably going to see this on the news. But we're fine,' " Amanda Martin said.

But later, she realized, she wasn't. Her back hurt, and the pain wasn't relieved by rest and an analgesic, so she, too, went to Potomac Hospital.