Feds: Train in New Jersey Crash Was Going Twice Speed Limit

NTSB says it sped up to 21mph before entering the Hoboken station
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 6, 2016 6:55 PM CDT
Feds: Train in New Jersey Crash Was Going Twice Speed Limit
The commuter train that crashed in New Jersey last week, killing one person and injuring a hundred more, sped up to 21mph as it entered the Hoboken station, according to federal investigators.   (Chris O'Neil)

A New Jersey Transit commuter train sped up and was going twice the 10mph speed limit just before it crashed into Hoboken's terminal last week, killing a woman on the platform and injuring more than 100 people, the AP reports. The train's engineer hit the emergency brake less than a second before the train slammed into a bumping post at the end of the rail line, went airborne, and hurtled into the station's waiting area, according to information released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB said the findings were gleaned from a data recorder and video from a forward-facing camera in the front of the train.

According to the NTSB, the train was traveling at 8mph less than a minute before the Sept. 29 crash. Approximately 38 seconds before the crash, the throttle was increased and the train reached a maximum of about 21mph. NJ Transit trains have an in-cab system designed to alert engineers with a loud alarm and stop locomotives when they go over 20mph, according to a source. An NTSB spokesperson said he didn't know if the alert system went off. Thursday's report contained no analysis of the data retrieved and no explanation for why the train increased speed. NTSB technical experts and the parties to the investigation are scheduled to meet next Tuesday to continue reviewing the data and video from the train. A final report on what caused last week's crash could take a year or longer to complete. (More train crash stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X