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CSX releases cause of Sunday's Amtrak accident

By By GARY LIBERATORE

Story Created: May 17, 2010 at 5:29 PM EDT

Story Updated: May 18, 2010 at 10:10 AM EDT

ORISKANY, N.Y. (WKTV) - CSX Spokesperson Gary Sease announced Monday afternoon that somehow an extension arm of one of its maintenance trains was extended too far from that train, and that is what a moving Amtrak train struck Sunday afternoon in Oriskany.

Sease says CSX is investigating why this happened to make sure it doesn't happen again, and wants to extend its apologies to those passengers onboard the Amtrak train that was involved, as well as to passengers of other Amtrak trains whose plans were delayed.

Also on Monday, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials now says 900 gallons of diesel fuel spilled along the train tracks. The original estimate was 2000 gallons. Crews were on scene on Monday continuing to clean up the spill and are expected to be there all week.

DEC regional spokesperson Steve Steven Littweiler says much of the spill has been cleaned up, but he says the DEC will have a better idea on how long it will take to clean up the rest of the spill later in the week. Some of the diesel has seeped into the soil.

The more than 100 passengers aboard at the time of the accident were shaken up. They were taken off the train immediately, then transported back to Utica's Union Station to catch other trains.

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