Amtrak resumed its Northeast Corridor service Monday after last week's fatal derailment in Philadelphia, as funerals for victims, including Towson businessman Robert Gildersleeve, were held.
Eight people were killed and more than 200 injured when an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Gildersleeve's funeral was in Holmdel, N.J. The 45-year-old food safety executive lived in Elkridge in Howard County and formerly lived in New Jersey. His 16-year-old daughter, Ryan, said she loved her father "more than words" and that she felt lucky to have traveled the world with him, NJ.com reported.
His 13-year-old son, Marc, also spoke at the funeral.
"Thank you for teaching me how to be a leader and how to take care of others," he said, reading from a letter to his late father. "When I was little and you were leaving for a business trip, you would tell me that I was of the `man of the house.' But I would always say that I'm the man `in' the house. I will continue to be the man of the house and will take care of your girls."
Besides his children, Gildersleeve is survived by his wife of 18 years.
Friends and relatives also remembered New York City real estate executive Laura Finamore, 47, on Monday. Her funeral was held in Queens.
Amtrak officials said Sunday that trains along the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston would resume service in "complete compliance" with federal safety orders.
Company President Joseph Boardman said Amtrak staff and crew have been working around the clock to restore service. Boardman said that Amtrak would be offering a "safer service."
Federal regulators ordered Amtrak over the weekend to expand use of a speed-control system long in effect for southbound trains near the crash site to northbound trains in the same area.
Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Kevin Thompson said the automatic train control system is now fully operational on the northbound tracks. The system alerts engineers to slow down when their trains go too fast and automatically applies the brakes if the train continues to speed.
The agency also ordered Amtrak to examine all curves along the Northeast Corridor and determine if more can be done to improve safety, and to add more speed limit signs along the route.
Almost 20 people injured in the train crash remain in Philadelphia hospitals, five in critical condition. All are expected to survive.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board, meanwhile, have focused on the acceleration of the train as it approached the curve, finally reaching 106 mph as it entered the 50-mph stretch north of central Philadelphia, and only managing to slow down slightly before the crash.
The Amtrak engineer, who was among those injured in the crash, has told authorities that he does not recall anything in the few minutes before it happened.
On Monday, Baltimore's Penn Station was crowded with commuters headed south to Washington and other travelers dragging rolling suitcases. One man was leaving Baltimore after attending the 140th Preakness, while another said he was taking a MARC train to a medical conference in Washington.
Darlene Cunningham and Mike Sharp waited at Penn Station on Monday morning for an Amtrak train to begin their long-anticipated vacation in Atlantic City, N.J.
The couple had purchased tickets in advance but were concerned about cancellations. Amtrak had sent them several notices that their train could be affected by disruptions following the crash, said Sharp, 56. But hey were able to board early Monday.
Another couple, Lisa Lucas-Alston and her husband, Brian Alston, arrived at Penn Station on Monday morning by way of a MARC train from Washington. They were returning from a cruise, which left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the Bahamas, that they took to celebrate her birthday.
After riding Amtrak from Florida, they chose to take a MARC train from Washington to avoid any Amtrak delays, Lucas-Alston said. Many other passengers also hopped on the MARC to Baltimore because of concerns about service, she said.
"It was a lot of confusion with some of the other passengers," Lucas-Alston said.
After enjoying the 21-hour Amtrak ride from Florida — her husband's first train ride — Lucas-Alston said another passenger on the cruise ship told them about the derailment.
"I was a little worried. I convinced him to take the train, and this happened," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.