Amtrak safety record already under scrutiny before fatal derailment

Rescue personnel and equipment are seen working into darkness at the scene where an Amtrak passenger train derailed on a bridge over interstate highway I-5 in DuPont, Washington, U.S. December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Dipaola

(Reuters) - The deadly derailment of an Amtrak train south of Seattle is likely to intensify scrutiny of the national passenger railroad company's safety record, which was already under the microscope following a series of fatal incidents.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said late on Monday the train was travelling at 80 miles (130 km) per hour in a 30-mph (48 kph) zone when it jumped the tracks that morning.