Local Amtrak riders voice safety concerns

In the wake of an Amtrak train derailment killing seven people and injuring more than 200 in Philadelphia, some local Amtrak train riders said they had some new feelings as they boarded the train in Jefferson City Wednesday.

“It actually makes me a little nervous,” said Amtrak train rider Anthony Anderson.

Anderson rides the Amtrak train on a weekly basis and said he has never had any problems.

Amtrak passenger Linda Shelton said she was also nervous, but not overly so.

“I just carry the Lord with me,” she said. “He’s got my back.”

Both Anderson and Shelton said the event in Philadelphia would not keep them from riding the train but that they would like to know more about inspection procedures.

As the investigation in Philadelphia continues, ABC 17 News made calls to both the regional and national Amtrak office to try to find out what those inspection procedures are, but because of a high call volume, calls were not returned.

Passengers in Jefferson City said although what happened in Philadelphia is a tragedy, they said using any type of transportation has its risks.

“There’s concern for safety, but every time you get in something that’s moving, whether it’s a plane or train, boat, whatever, you’ve heard of accidents on all occasions,” Shelton said.

“I think they should just tighten up on the safety and make sure everything is in tact and everything will be alright,” Anderson said.