Windscreen marks spark probe into whether train targeted in crash

Eight people died when this Amtrak train crashed in Philadelphia last week. Photo / AP

The FBI is to investigate whether a train that derailed in Philadelphia last week had been shot at or struck by a projectile shortly before it crashed, killing eight passengers.

The windscreen of the Washington-to-New York service had a circular mark consistent with being hit by an object, said Robert Sumwalt, from the National Transport Safety Board.

More than 200 people were injured when the train crashed along one of the busiest US tracks last week. It was the third major crash in 12 months involving Amtrak, the US intercity rail service, and the deadliest in six years.

Investigators believe the train was travelling at 160km/h, twice the speed limit, when it crashed on a bend.

Sumwalt said an assistant conductor had overheard Brandon Bostian, the train driver, talking to another driver, who said he believed his carriage had been "hit by a rock or shot at". Bostian replied that something similar had happened to his train.

Sumwalt said after that the conductor felt a rumbling as the carriage leant over on to its side.

He added that Bostian, 32, remembered nothing of the accident.

The New York Times reported that around the same time, objects hit two other trains in the area, breaking windows. It reported that federal and railway officials say being struck by rocks, bricks and even bullets - called getting "rocked" - is a longstanding problem for the nation's trains.

Federal officials said yesterday Amtrak must immediately expand its use of a speed restriction system on Philadelphia's northbound rails.

The Federal Railroad Administration said an emergency order would be issued in coming days that calls for Amtrak to ensure the presence of the automatic train control system that notifies an engineer when a train is above the speed limit and automatically applies the brakes if the engineer doesn't act to slow the train.

It also ordered Amtrak to analyse curves to assess risks on the Northeast Corridor, the tracks between Washington and Boston, and determine if more can be done to improve safety.

- AP