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PHILADELPHIA—An Amtrak train involved in a fatal crash here appears to have been traveling at more than 100 miles an hour, twice the speed limit, as it entered a sharp curve where it derailed Tuesday night, federal officials said Wednesday.

The locomotive and all seven passenger cars of the train went off the tracks at a tight curve at Frankford Junction, just northeast of center city Philadelphia. Multiple cars overturned, severely injuring some passengers and pinning others. At least seven were killed, and more than 200 passengers were injured, including eight who were in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.

An Amtrak train involved in a fatal crash in Philadelphia appears to have been traveling at more than 100 miles per hour as it entered a sharp curve where it derailed Tuesday night, killing at least seven people. WSJ’s Andrew Tangel reports.

The National Transportation Safety Board, the main federal agency investigating the derailment, said preliminary data put the train’s speed above 100 miles an hour. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, the speed limit in that section of track is 50 miles an hour.

The northbound train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members when it derailed about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on its way to New York.

Investigators on Wednesday searched through the wreckage, as officials worked to account for all passengers. Philadelphia Mayor

said officials had yet to match a manifest from Amtrak against lists of people admitted to hospitals. More than 200 people went to area hospitals, according to Samantha Phillips, director of emergency management for the city.

Among the victims were an Associated Press employee, Jim Gaines, of Plainsboro, N.J., and a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. New York state Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder identified the midshipman as Justin Zemser from Queens, N.Y. Mr. Zemser was on leave from the academy in Annapolis, Md., and heading home when the accident occurred.

Reported missing was Rachel Jacobs, 39 years old, a CEO for Philadelphia technology company ApprenNet who lives in New York with her husband and toddler son, according to a co-worker.

Mr. Nutter said a “black box” data recorder aboard the train had been recovered and was being analyzed at an Amtrak facility in Delaware. He said it was too soon to speculate on the cause of the accident.

Emergency personnel work at the scene of the deadly train derailment in Philadelphia. The Amtrak train, headed to New York City from Washington, derailed and crashed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, killing at least six people.

Officials work at the site of the derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia Wednesday. Rescue workers searched through the debris for more victims of the accident, which occurred Tuesday around 9:30 p.m. as the train headed from Washington D.C. to New York.

A crane works on an overturned railcar as part of an investigation into the derailment of Amtrak Train 188 Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Federal investigators arrived Wednesday to determine why the Amtrak train jumped the tracks in a wreck that killed at least six people and injured dozens.

Some passengers involved in the derailment pass through New York City’s Penn Station after being bused there from Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter hugs Lori Dee Patterson, a nearby resident, after she handed him a cup of coffee near the scene of the deadly train derailment.

A customer-service agent helps travellers at Penn Station in New York Wednesday morning. Trains south of New York were cancelled following the derailment.

Emergency workers head toward the site of the derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia Wednesday morning. Authorities don’t know yet what caused the train wreck at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Emergency workers and equipment at the scene of the derailment in Philadelphia

An almost empty boarding area is seen at the Union Station Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. Service has been interrupted after the Amtrak derailment.

The derailed Amtrak train sits askew Wednesday morning. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told reporters that seven cars had derailed.

Emergency personnel work the scene of the deadly train wreck Tuesday night.

Rescue workers climb into the wreckage of an Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

The scene after an Amtrak train headed to New York from Washington derailed and crashed Tuesday night.

Emergency personnel help a passenger at the scene of the train wreck.

A crime scene investigator looks inside a train car after the crash.

Emergency personnel help passengers at the scene of the train wreck.

Emergency personnel at the scene. Train 188, which runs along Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor route, left Washington earlier in the evening.

The scene of the crash Tuesday night. The train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members, Amtrak said.

“We are heartbroken at what has happened here,” Mr. Nutter said at a news conference. “We have not experienced anything like this in modern times.”

Robert Sumwalt, a member of the NTSB, said investigators would study a variety of factors, including the condition of the track, train signals, the mechanical condition of the train and human performance.

Mr. Nutter said the train’s engineer, who wasn’t identified, was treated after the accident and gave a statement to Philadelphia police.

to express his condolences and praise the work of first responders. “Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the derailment,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those we lost last night, and to the many passengers who today begin their long road to recovery.”

The train originated in Washington, D.C., and was due in New York about 10:30 p.m. But shortly after leaving Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, the train began to jerk and rock, passengers said. They described a frightening scene that arrived with little warning as the train left the rails.

Andrew Brenner, 29, a public-relations expert who lives in Washington, said he was relaxing and texting in the last car with his shoes off. He said he noticed that the train seemed to be taking a curve rather fast, but it didn’t cause much alarm. Then, the train jolted and swayed. Within moments, Mr. Brenner said he and other passengers were tossed around cars as seats were ripped from the train floor.

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“I got thrown like a penny,” said Mr. Brenner, who said he weighs 250 pounds. “That is how violent this was.”

After the crash, Mr. Brenner said he was taken along with other passengers by bus to a hospital, where X-rays showed damage to his vertebrae.

Brooklyn, N.Y., resident Beth Davidz, 35, said she remembered only a hard turn and a jerk. “Then it was just blackness. I was bouncing up and down in blackness,” she said.

Although she tried not to look at the wreckage as she left the train, she noticed the first and second cars looked badly damaged. “I didn’t see anyone getting out,” said Ms. Davidz, a project director with a Philadelphia-based startup.

More than 120 firefighters and 200 police responded to the chaotic scene that included several badly mangled railcars, officials said.

One car was flipped nearly onto its roof, another was close to toppled, and three were on their sides, the Federal Railroad Administration said. The engine and two cars stayed upright.

Rescue workers used hydraulic tools to help some trapped passengers escape from the wreckage, Mr. Nutter said.

Train service was canceled Wednesday between Philadelphia and New York, but New Jersey Transit was honoring Amtrak tickets between New York and Trenton, N.J., Amtrak said. Modified Amtrak service was planned between Washington and Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and New York and Boston.

Temple University Hospital, which has a trauma center, said it had received 54 patients from the crash. Hospital spokesman Jeremy Walter said Wednesday morning that one passenger died overnight and that 25 remained at the hospital, including eight in critical condition. The injuries included broken bones and other limb injuries, he said.

Many patients taken to hospitals with lacerations and bruises had been released by Wednesday morning. Of 26 people treated at Aria Health’s Frankford hospital near the crash site, 21 people were released, a spokeswoman for Aria Health said Wednesday.

The FRA said it was sending at least eight investigators to the scene, including acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg. The NTSB said it had a team on site Wednesday morning, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox said Transportation Department officials were heading to the scene.

—Mark Morales, Elana Zak and Jennifer Levitz contributed to this article.

Write to Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com and Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com

I sure hope that engineer\'s phone records don\'t turn up with Facebook / Instagram status updates or texting. No matter what the technology, ultimately it boils down to who operates it. 

That site claims to have identified the engineer.  

If that claim is true, one begins to see why today\'s p.c. media seem to have done their conspicuous best not to name him.

@James Doppelheuer @John Kunstadter Weeell, slightly different (IF/IF the site is correct) but no less untouchable.

According to engineers who drive this same route - it\'s a terrible turn, the speed limit is 80 mph just before the turn - dropping to 50mph at the turn and Amtrak pushes their engineers to go faster and faster to make schedules. With that in mind, it makes complete sense how this type of disaster can and will happen again until the pressure to speed - and put innocent lives at risk is eliminated.  So incredibly sad for the families.

Our government always displays such good judgment.

Why are those who claim that others are "science deniers" so wed to this 19th century technology?

The train was doing over 100 MPH going into a curve with a 50 MPH speed limit.   So, there is no doubt why the train crashed.   The question is, what was the engineer doing?  Was he even awake?

Our train system does not work as it should because passenger trains are often blocked by freight traffic (from what I have read).  This problem could be solved without building a high speed rail system.  We had high speed trains traveling all over the US in the 1930\'s.  Look up the history of the 

@MYRON RANNEY Probably sleeping, on drugs (passed out) or texting/watching movies.  He\'s not talking.

@MYRON RANNEY  There is no economic need for wasting hundreds of billions on high speed 19th century transportation methods :)

BTW -- in the 1930s it was dangerous to fly.  Now, it is both the safest and most cost effective and FASTEST way to get from point A to point B.

Trains are mostly yesterday.  They are viable as passenger conveyance only in high population density areas like the Northeast and Japan and Europe.

And in the Northeast Corridor where this train was operating, they don\'t have problems with freight blockages very often, if at all.  

@David Tolpi @Henry Newbold @MYRON RANNEY  Don\'t go throwing any stawmen at me David :)

@Henry Newbold @MYRON RANNEY Actually rail\'s share of the American freight market rose to 43%, the highest for any rich country.[2]

If we eliminated trains, we would have alot more big rigs on our highway system. 

@Frank Dickof @MYRON RANNEY ...but the union will undoubtedly support him.

@Henry Newbold @MYRON RANNEY From what I have read there are still a lot of passengers riding on AMTRAK even in spite of the delays experienced in many cases, which it is my understanding are caused by freight trains blocking the path.  So, there appears to be a potential market for more riders.  Not everybody wants to fly for a jaunt of a few hundred miles.  I am just suggesting that we could better use what we already have if the delays could be remedied.  The modern trains are certainly better equipped than those in the 1930\'s, and I will certainly agree that the wreck at issue was not caused by a freight train blocking the path.

100mph..are we kidding..those familes effected by this tragey are in my prayers.

Looks like the (union) "engineer" learned a new lesson on the law of conservation of momentum.

And the train driver has lawyered up and refuses to be interviewed or make a statement.  The Union must be so proud, they always protect their own.

The liberal Democrats will have their high speed rail system whether we build it, or not.

Thirsty Californians wanted a fast train more than they wanted water...

Most injuries in these unfortunate accidents are due to passengers being thrown from their seats into other seats, walls, windows, and ceilings.  Some may be ejected out of the train.  It is time that there be mandatory seat belts installed in trains.  Yes, we need to prevent accidents in the first place with better training, equipment, and state of the art technology.  It would seem easy enough, for example, to slow trains automatically at dangerous curves.  Metro North train did the same thing.  Seat belts in all passenger trains, busses, and school busses would prevent passengers from becoming "missiles" leading to fractures, head injures, lacerations and even death.  We did this for the automobile and saved many lives  We use seat belts in airplanes.  Seat belts would be a relatively simple and inexpensive "fix" to save lives.  Richard Tax, MD

A more useful graph would be injuries per passenger mile.  It appears such a graph would show a recent downward trend in Amtrak injuries.  Also, I am curious about the "other" category in the last graph.  I am not aware of any other passenger train service.  I wonder if they are including metro transit on light rail.

I wonder if there is a liability waiver printed on the ticket when you buy it.  Wouldn\'t that just be disgusting if you were injured and had no recourse?

"Other" would include mass transit trains in the cities that have them.

We are playing Russian Roulette with many of our transportation components. Whether it be roads, bridges, air traffic, or rail. Unfortunately it takes a tragedy like this to open eyes and bring it to the top of political agendas.

@Alex Harkin Do you think it was a coincidence. We need high speed rail boondoggles all over the nation to solve trains moving 100mph around 50mph turns.

@Alex Harkin   Nonsense, we have plenty of money.  Much is wasted and about 20% of the Gas tax is siphoned off to pay for bike paths, rail and other stuff.  This accident looks completely like driver \'error\'.....more money isn\'t going to solve the problem.

@Alex Harkin Yo, the engineer of the train was at the control doing twice the speed into a curve.  Try that driving?  What does that have to do with rail safety?

Bridge tolls should pay for bridge building and maintenance.

Why can\'t AMTRAK break even by pricing their tickets appropriately?

Then we will know if it is a good idea or not...

@Laura Jean @James Doppelheuer I do have to agree, they are not very efficient. Some of them do try, while others don\'t care. At least we are getting more efficient light bulbs and auto\'s now. Would be nice not to have to deal with all the political advertising in the mail that our congressmen sends to us, via our taxpayer money.

I am disgusted that Congress is so cowardly that they constantly insist on cutting only those parts of the government that actually do things, even if they do it poorly, instead of the 95% of the government that cuts checks to individuals and has made up the lion\'s share of spending growth.

A regional north east rail system is something that is both a rational project that the Feds could facilitate and something that could and does provide a positive payoff for the nation.  A truly conservative congress would do the work needed to completely redo a system that hasn\'t changed since the 60\'s.  I have to wonder why Amtrak is using technology from that era instead of paying companies like Google to create a much simpler version of self driving for trains.  The mandated auto speed control was missing at Frankford junction, apparently because they\'re 1975 technology couldn\'t deal with other systems going through there.  An I phone app could probably accomplish the job everywhere.

Unions bleed the rail system.  They would have to pay conductors anyway - even if they bought and installed automated control systems.  For decades railroads were required to pay "signalmen" after all of the signals were automated.

@ROBERT HOLTON  Research the term "featherbedding" and then come back and convince us that we need to spend more untold billion on passenger rail that makes no sense at all except in high population dense areas like the Northeast :)

I hope the people of California are paying attention,  as Gov Brown continues to push for funding of a high speed rail system to connect South Calif w/North Calif.  Sounds like this Amtrak engineer was trying to create his own high speed rail system.

@Richard Reed I think some Californians would enjoy not have to compete in their heavily traveled roads all the time. Oh wait, if they don\'t do that, then they would have  spend money on more state highways. Oh, the agony, having to deal with infrastructure spending. California only creates 12% of the GDP of the United States.   

@David Tolpi @Richard Reed  If California wants to waste a hundred billion of THEIR OWN $$ on stupid high speed rail --- let them!

And based on how well they\'ve managed their water issues, the cost of a glass of water on that high speed choo choo will be around $50!

@Henry Newbold @David Tolpi @Richard Reed Guess that is why California is doing so much better than alot of the other states.  Empires are built on infrastructure. 

I have no comment on their extreme drought, remember even Texas a few years ago, had a major drought. I guess you are also implying that Texas did not manage their water issues well either. 

In fact, Atlanta is in a major drought. Guess they haven\'t managed their water issues properly as well.

Imagine if the Federal Govenment forced us to use Amtrak?  Imagine if they "taxed" (they of course insist it isn\'t a tax) us if we refused to use Amtrak and instead used our own cars?  Imagine if something like that passed our Supreme Court? 

@Laura Jean Your scenario sounds a lot like ACA.

Thousands of returning recruits from Iraq were forced to come home in goverment-provided body bags. A nightmare, but not one shared by conservatives.

They already tax you if you use your own car.  They\'re called Gasoline Taxes.

The fact that we\'ve been forced to use what the federal government provides is a nightmare to me. 

Chicago bonds were recently downgraded to junk status.  Look at Amtrak, and yes, have a look at their personnel policies and pay structures.....(think UAW and Detroit.)

Why is there anyone left that thinks government can do anything, much less, everything?!  Oh...and take a look at the failing inner city schools with graduation rates below 50%...  Or, the VA...or, the IRS, or, the Dept of Education, etc., etc.

Obviously operator error. But did the operator know that he was entering a space of track at 2x the permissible speed? If not, then why not?

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