Amtrak derailment to be subject of committee hearing

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will host a hearing next week on the deadly Amtrak train derailment that occurred earlier this month on the Northeast Corridor near Philadelphia.

Scheduled to testify at the June 2 hearing in Washington, D.C., are National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart, Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman, Acting Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg, and Dennis Pierce, the national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

Amtrak Train 188 derailed May 12 shortly after leaving a Philadelphia station on its way to New York City. The NTSB's investigation into the cause is ongoing, however the agency has said that speed was a factor. The train was traveling 106 mph — more than twice the posted speed limit for the area — when it approached a sharp curve and derailed.

Eight passengers died and 200 were injured.