'At least THREE dead and 77 injured' after new high-speed Amtrak train derails on Washington State overpass on its FIRST day of service sending rail car crashing onto interstate below'

An Amtrak train derailed near DuPont, Washington around 7:40am Monday

The train derailed while crossing a bridge over Interstate 5, causing one car to crash onto the freeway below

At least three people who were on the train have died, while 77 people were injured  

No motorists were killed on the freeway below  

It was the first day of a new high-speed service linking Seattle and Portland

The train was reportedly going about 80mph when it derailed 

Seventy-eight passengers were on board, in addition to five crew members 

Multiple injuries and fatalities have been reported after an Amtrak train derailed on the maiden voyage of a new high-speed service linking Seattle and Portland.

Law enforcement have not given an exact number of fatalities yet, but the Seattle Times reports that at least three are dead.  

Train 501 was going south when it derailed while crossing a bridge over Interstate 5 near DuPont, Washington around 7:40am Pacific Time, causing at least one car to fall onto the freeway below. 

Amtrak confirmed its train was involved but did not provide further information.

'We are aware of an incident involving Amtrak train 501,' the rail operator said on Twitter. 'We will update with additional details as they become available.'

 It was the first day of the new high-speed Cascade service, which rerouted trains down 14 miles of updated track. The new bypass between Tacoma and DuPont is straighter, meaning that trains can go faster than they did on the windy old line. 

An Amtrak train derailed near DuPont, Washington around 7:40am Monday

The train derailed while crossing a bridge over Interstate 5, causing at least one car to crash onto the freeway below


At least three people have died, according to the Seattle Times, in addition to 77 injuries 

The train set off from Seattle at 6am. The derailment happened around dawn near the town of DuPont 


It was the first day of a new high-speed service linking Portland and Seattle 


The train was headed south towards Portland, Oregon at the time of the derailment. passengers are seen disembarking the derailed train 


Seventy-eight passengers were on board at the time, in addition to five crew. The train can fit around 250 people

Right before the bridge, there is a sizable curve in the track and it's believed that the train was going about 80mph at the time. 

Seventy-eight passengers were on board, in addition to five crew members, KIRO reports. According to the Washington DOT, the train can carry about 250 passengers.  

Law enforcement officials say there have been injuries and casualties, but have not provided any figures yet. 

A Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman said there were multiple fatalities on the train. 

Despite the fact that the train hit several cars and trucks on the freeway below, no motorists were killed. 

An estimated 77 people were injure, with some being rushed to the hospital and others treated at the scene.

A train car's wheels are seen detached from the car on Interstate 5  


Firefighters are seen looking for more survivors on Monday


A look at some of the tools firefighters brought to free survivors on the train

It's still unclear what caused the train to derail Monday morning. The NTSB will be investigating 

The train was traveling on an updated set of tracks that run between Tacoma and DuPont, Washington 


The NTSB will be looking to get the black box fro the train, which will tell how fast the train was traveling when it derailed


No motorists were killed in the derailment, despite the fact that a car fell on the road below

Passenger Chris Karnes told KIRO that at least seven cars derailed. He said the emergency doors were not functioning so they had to kick out the train windows to escape. 

'We had just passed the city of DuPont and it seemed like we were going around a curve,' Karnes said. 'All of a sudden, we felt this rocking and creaking noise, and it felt like we were heading down a hill. The next thing we know, we're being slammed into the front of our seats, windows are breaking, we stop, and there's water gushing out of the train. People were screaming.'

'The tracks for this line were supposed to be upgraded to be able to handle higher speeds,' he continued. 'I'm not sure what happened at this juncture.' 

Maria Hetland was driving to work on the northbound lanes when traffic slowed and she noticed the crash.

'As we were coming up the hill I rolled my window down and saw the train,' she told the Seattle Times. 'It was awful.'

Hetland said she could see people walking around the roadway near the derailment, and people sitting on the side of the freeway wrapped in blankets. 

Alex Rozier, a King TV reporter, told NBC News that he got off the train about 10 minutes before the derailment, after taking footage early on in the inaugural trip. 

He said there were many people on the train for its first trip, including rail enthusiasts. Passengers were given commemorative lanyards for the journey.

The new service is supposed to make the journey between Portland and Seattle in 3 hours and 20 minutes, about 10 minutes faster than previous services.

Part of the reason why the new route is faster is because it diverges from the main line on a 14-mile bypass between DuPont and Tacoma.

The new track is a straighter line so the train can go faster, while the old track was windy and made the journey slower.

The bypass already existed but had the tracks needed to be updated for high-speed trains, which heat up the metal on the tracks more significantly.

FIRST DAY OF $181MILLION HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROJECT 

Today was the first day of the new multi-million Amtrak Cascades train service daily along the Portland-Seattle corridor.

The more direct route diverged from the shared track which operated with freight trains.

The project was known as the Point Defiance Bypass.

Avoiding a more scene route along the area's iconic Puget Sound, the new high speed line is designed to take 10 minutes off the travel time and travel at up to 80mph.

Amtrak issued a press released last week to say that using this route would allow for two more daily round-trips between Seattle and Portland.

It would also help trains avoid traveling around tight corners and tunnels.

The Amtrak/Cascade trains are pulled by a state-of-the art locomotive known as a 'Charger'.

Weighing 42,000 pounds and able to produce 4,400-horsepower they new, quieter and faster engines have been testing for the last month.

They are equipped with positive train control systems which automatically stop trains when troubled is detected. However, these are not due to be activate till 2018.

The Washington State Department of Transportation said that at the moment it has no theories as to what caused the derailment.

Many rail enthusiasts were on the train to make the first trip of the new high-speed service

Amtrak derailment onto I-5 in Washington State on Monday

Numerous paramedics were seen at the scene on Monday 

Above is the train tracks where the train derailed Monday morning 

Monday's inaugural trip was the culmination of the $181million project, that also included construction of a new train station at Tacoma. 

Amtrak service south of Seattle on the line is temporarily suspended. Service is continuing to the north and east of the crash.

The derailment has also caused traffic chaos on Interstate 5, with all southbound lanes shut down and just two lanes getting by northbound. 

The State Police said that the southbound lanes will at least be closed down for the rest of the day. 

They are asking that people stay off I-5 if they don't need to use it.  

The freeway is a heavily trafficked road, with even more Washingtonians expected to be on the road this week to do Christmas shopping in sales-tax-free Oregon. 

Family of victims are being asked to report to the DuPont City Hall to be reunited with their loved ones. They are being told not to come to the scene. 

President Trump has been briefed on the situation, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed.  

He said there were many people on the train for its first trip, including rail enthusiasts. Passengers were given commemorative lanyards for the journey.

The new service is supposed to make the journey between Portland and Seattle in 3 hours and 20 minutes, about 10 minutes faster than previous services. 

Part of the reason why the new route is faster is because it diverges from the main line on a 14-mile bypass between DuPont and Tacoma. 

The new track is a straighter line so the train can go faster, while the old track was windy and made the journey slower.  

The bypass already existed but had the tracks needed to be updated for high-speed trains, which heat up the metal on the tracks more significantly.