Crossing safety improvements still in progress three years after deadly Amtrak crash

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

It only took 10 seconds for a perfect summer day in Chariton County to turn into a tragedy.

It was just before 1 p.m. on June 27, 2022, when a dump truck hauling materials to a nearby site was crossing the railroad tracks at Porche Prairie Avenue near Mendon when it was struck by an Amtrak passenger train traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The train engineer sounded the horn at 12:42:36 p.m., just over 1,300 feet from the crossing, when the crew spotted a dump truck crossing over the railway. The engineer sounded the horn four more times over a span of 10 seconds as the train approached the crossing at 89 miles per hour. At 12:42:44 p.m., the emergency air brakes were activated, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's final report.

But by then, it was too late. The truck and train collided two seconds later at 12:42:46 p.m.

The collision caused all eight train cars and both locomotives to derail. It also took the lives of three passengers and the dump truck driver.

The crash prompted a massive emergency and medical response from several counties. Out of the 283 people on the train at the time, 146 passengers and crew on the train were taken to 10 hospitals across the state for treatment.

The Missouri Department of Transportation had already identified that crossing and many others across the state as needing upgrades just months before the deadly derailment.

Porche Prairie was a passive crossing, which means there are only stop signs and crossbucks.

According to previous reporting, a nearby farmer told ABC 17 News he had been working for eight to 10 years to get crossing guard arms for area railroad crossings. Some locals had spoken to MoDOT about the dangers at that crossing.

Upgrades recommended

MoDOT's State Freight and Rail Plan, issued in February 2022, identified 96 areas where freight rail improvements could be made, with 19 of those in Mid-Missouri counties.

Pages 30-35 highlight recommended crossing improvements in 2022.

MoDOT has a team of five railroad safety inspectors who make sure crossings comply with state and federal railroad laws, regulations, rules and standards. They conduct routine inspections looking for unsafe conditions that need correcting.

MoDOT Rail Administrator Alex Schroeder says when those evaluations are taking place, inspectors look at factors such as slope approach to the tracks, number of cars and trains traveling in the area per day, how far a driver can see down the tracks and more.

 "All those are factors into an equation that we work on and that we work on with the railroads to see, is this a valid crossing for a safety improvement, or does it have the necessary protection that it needs already?" Schroeder said.

Safety improvements can include closing a crossing, adding warning signals like lights, cantilevers and gates, improving the road leading up to the crossing and upgrading rail infrastructure.

A 16-member team of NTSB investigators looked into the crash and released their final report on Aug. 2, 2023. The report found the design of the crossing contributed to the deadly crash. The board said the steepness of the road and the angle of the intersection at the crossing were factors.

The NTSB observed the road and rails intersecting at a 45-degree angle, which can make it difficult for drivers to see approaching trains. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommends that crossings have an intersection angle as close to 90 degrees and no less than 75 degrees.

The report found the slope at the crossing dropped 39 inches over 30 feet from the nearest rail, 13 times the maximum slope recommended by AASHTO.

During a press conference the day after the derailment, NSTB Jennifer Homendy expressed her frustration over their recommendations not being implemented.

"Any time our recommendations aren't heeded, of course, I'm upset, because we see tragedy after tragedy after tragedy and numerous fatalities and injuries," said Homendy. "And it's very frustrating for our investigators, very frustrating when they are on scene, and they know what would have prevented this."

A year later, then-Gov. Mike Parson and MoDOT released a new railroad safety crossing plan, including $50 million from HB 4 to improve railroad crossings around the state. That money was reappropriated again in 2024. In 2025, MoDOT's funding for these projects dropped to $25 million, according to Schroeder. He says they are anticipating that most of the funding will be obligated again by the end of this fiscal year.

"We're actively working through budget hearings and trying to ask and encourage that money continues to be reappropriated so we can see all these projects and safety upgrades out, since it does take multiple years to get everything done and get the process and the funding and invoices processed," said Schroeder.

Parson called the derailment a wake-up call for the state during the press conference and said their commitment to spending money on improving crossings is serious.

The plan aimed to improve 47 passive public crossings along Missouri's three passenger rail lines.

According to the reports, 27 crossings are recommended for upgrades, such as lights and gates, 17 are recommended to be permanently closed, two are recommended to have a security gate system installed and six are recommended for other enhancements. 

These upgrades are expected to cost $18.5 million, according to MoDOT.

According to MoDOT, as of late January, two crossings were closed in 2024, with seven in progress.

"We're hoping three of them will be closed this year," said Schroeder. "The other four are going to be closed next year; they're in various stages of agreements and getting all the necessary signatures to get them closed."

Five crossings had upgrades to lights and gates completed last year, with two more in progress, with an anticipated completion date sometime in 2027, according to Schroeder.

One crossing in Jackson County had other safety improvements completed, with two more in progress.

"A lot of them are missing the signing, a lot of them are on these county roads, they're damaged, they're old signs, so it's a lot easier just to go ahead and take them down and put up brand new ones for safety and visibility," Schroeder said.

But these improvements don't happen overnight, and sometimes not even over years. So, what's actually been done?

ABC 17 News visited 10 crossings around Mid-Missouri that were recommended for improvements in the 2022 and 2023 studies. Of the 10 crossings observed, four had closed, including the one where the deadly train derailment happened, and one had lights and gates installed around the tracks. The rest appeared to be untouched.

"They're working through, whether it's in the agreement phase, that agreement phase takes some time, we got to talk to the railroads, we had to talk to the cities, or the counties, whichever the local road authority is, and hash out those agreements so everyone's happy," said Schroeder. "MoDOT doesn't make the decision for people."

There are still several more crossings in progress to get upgrades across the state:

Crossing Location	Improvements in progress
County Road 159 near Kahoka in Clark County	Closure
Hicks Road near Gorin in Scotland County	Closure
Archer Lane near Gibbs in Adair County	Closure
Estate Place near Elmer in Macon County	Addition of lights and gates
County Road 505/121 near Norborne in Carroll County	Addition of lights and gates
County Road 113 near Wyaconda in Clark County	Other safety improvements
County Road 361 near Bosworth in Carroll County	Other safety improvements

A spokesperson for MoDOT says the department considers a project "in progress" at a minimum, as one where the agreements are signed and an order for work to be done has been issued.

Since the initial allotment of that $50 million in 2023, just over $4 million has been spent on crossing improvements. Annually, Missouri receives $6 million in Section 130 funds and another $1.2 million per year through the state’s Grade Crossing Safety Account.

Check back and watch ABC 17 News at 6 for the full special report.