NTSB Opens Public Docket on Montana Amtrak Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened the public docket for its ongoing investigation of the Sept. 25, 2021, derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train near Joplin, Montana.

The docket for this investigation includes more than 3,100 pages of factual information, including reports on operations, mechanical, track and engineering, signal and train control, and crashworthiness/survival factors. The docket also includes interview transcripts, photographs, and other investigative materials.

The docket contains only factual information collected by NTSB investigators; it does not provide the final report or a probable cause. No conclusions about how or why the derailment happened should be drawn from the information within the docket. The NTSB will issue a final report at a later date that will include analysis, findings, recommendations, and probable cause determinations related to the derailment.

The accident happened when a westbound Amtrak Train derailed five cars while in a right-hand curve on BNSF Railway Company main track. The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars. Three passengers died and ​49 passengers and crew were injured.

​​The public docket for this investigation is available online​ at NTSB Docket​.