Investigative tools

The train was equipped with forward-facing cameras that should show what was happening on the track ahead of the train. The train’s data recorder should also reveal how fast it was traveling and whether the brakes were applied before the crash.

However, New Jersey Transit trains cabs aren’t equipped with inward-facing cameras. The NTSB has long urged railroads to include the cameras to help with safety investigations, but labor unions have opposed the cameras as intrusive.

That was an issue in the deadly derailment of Amtrak Train 188 in Philadelphia last year. The train’s data recorder showed it was speeding at the time of the crash, but the engineer’s actions remained a question mark because there was no camera or other independent means to confirm them.

Ultimately, the board concluded that the derailment was caused when the engineer became distracted by radio transmissions and lost situational awareness.

Last year, Congress ordered the Federal Railroad Administration to issue regulations requiring railroads to install the cameras. However, the agency is still drafting the regulations.

Investigators will also examine any smartphone or personal electronic device the engineer may have had in the cab at the time of the crash. The NTSB has investigated numerous crashes where operators were distracted by text messages and phone calls.