Downeaster train collides with truck
The Amtrak Downeaster train yesterday collided with a tractor-trailer truck at a North Berwick crossing, killing the driver and setting both the train and truck on fire.
The crash happened around 11 a.m. Monday on Route 4 after the truck, which was hauling trash to the Maine Energy Recovery Co. incinerator in Biddeford, was unable to stop in time, according to the Portland Press Herald. The train was carrying 112 passengers and three crew members from Boston to Portland, several people received minor injuries and were treated at area hospitals. The train's engineer was able to manually disconnect the burning engine car from the rest of the train to prevent the fire from spreading.
Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates the Downeaster, told The Associated Press that today's trains between Portland and Boston are running as scheduled, though speeds through the crash site will be reduced, which could result in delays. Though the Downeaster has been involved in other crashes, the collision is the first major accident in the train's nearly 10-year history.
Hours before the crash, NNEPRA announced ridership on the Downeaster has topped 500,000 annual passengers for the first time. Ridership in the fiscal year that ended June 30 grew 8%, while ticket revenue grew 7%, according to The AP.
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