QUANTICO, Va. -- A commuter train derailed during rush hour yesterday morning, injuring at least four people and tying up rail travel.
The Virginia Railway Express was carrying 400 passengers toward Washington, D.C., when the engine and the last three cars went off the tracks just north of Quantico, the company said.
The cause was not immediately known.
Four people were taken to hospitals. ''I've been told that all [of the injuries] are minor," said Mark Roeber, VRE spokesman.
Prince William County Police Officer John Bogert said a fifth person was taken from the crash in a life-support unit, but he couldn't say whether the person suffered an injury or had some other medical condition.
Passenger and freight rail service, including Amtrak and CSX routes, were disrupted in both directions.
Another VRE train edged up to the derailment site to return passengers to Fredericksburg. The line runs from Fredericksburg and Manassas to Washington and carries 16,000 commuters daily, Roeber said.
About 15 Amtrak trains were delayed or canceled, and about 3,000 passengers were affected, said Cliff Black, Amtrak spokesman. Several hundred passengers on the Richmond-to-Washington run were being bused to their destination.
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