Train fans shrug off wrecks

HINESVILLE, Ga. - Traveling is an adventure, but it's usually safe.

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The fatal train wreck early Tuesday in south Georgia might have raised heart rates for rail riders throughout the country, but the number of passengers will likely remain the same, Amtrak officials say.

The reason: Trains are still safer than most transportation, including automobiles and airplanes.

Ed Hoover, from Tombstone, Ariz., was heading home aboard The Silver Star when the 10-car train derailed after colliding with a delivery truck in Liberty County, Ga. Mr. Hoover was one of 150 passengers on board and one of 100 taken by bus to Hinesville's Charles Shuman Recreation Center.

Hours after the crash, Mr. Hoover sat outside the center smoking a cigarette and looked rather calm despite being thrown from his seat.

He says riding a train is still the way to travel.

"I like the scenery on a train and I'll ride again, just like I would a plane," Mr. Hoover said. "They shouldn't expect any lawsuits from me."

Another reason Mr. Hoover rides: the friendships he forges, as with his newfound pal Jerry Howard, from New York. Mr. Hoover assisted Mr. Howard, who uses a cane, at the crash scene.

"I got off the train and stuck around with Jerry, and he's been my sidekick ever since," Mr. Hoover said.

Amtrak spokeswoman Kari-na Vanveen said that, despite train accidents, ridership tends to stay steady.

Ms. Vanveen gave the example of the company's worst and most recent train wreck. In April 2002, a 202-vehicle auto train derailed in Crescent City, Fla., with 418 passengers and 44 employees on board.

There were four fatalities and 159 injuries.

"Travel went down for a few days because we didn't offer service, but we actually maintained ridership as soon as the lines were open again," Ms. Vanveen said.

--From the Friday, May 9, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle