Rural Missouri crossing where Amtrak struck truck was slated for improvements

The public crossing in Mendon, Missouri, did not have any lights or gates to warn drivers of oncoming trains. That will change, according to MoDOT’s improvement plan. The National Transportation Safety Board says they have been recommending improvements for crossings like this one for decades.
The Amtrak train derailment that killed four people and injured approximately 150 happened at a public crossing with no active warning signals — something state officials were aware of and planning to fix.

The crossing at County Road 113 and Porche Prairie Road in Mendon, Missouri — about 100 miles outside of Kansas City — was identified for improvement in the Missouri Department of Transportation’s State Freight & Rail Plan report published in February of this year.