By Howard Schneider and Aaron C. Davis
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 21, 2008

An Amtrak Acela train struck and killed a track maintenance worker in Prince George's County yesterday. The accident disrupted morning rail traffic on the East Coast and local commuter lines.

The Acela train was leaving Washington for Boston when it hit the worker at 5:08 a.m. near Lanham Severn and Annapolis roads in the New Carrollton area.

An Amtrak official said the worker, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital. Prince George's emergency officials said the man was in critical condition when he was brought in. Police later said that he died at the hospital.

Amtrak trains and MARC's Penn Line service between Baltimore and Washington were suspended for about 90 minutes while authorities investigated the accident. One track was reopened about 6:45 a.m., allowing service to resume.

Metro honored MARC tickets at its Greenbelt and New Carrollton stations.