Train that killed 4 was at 82 mph when it derailed
A Metro-North commuter train was traveling 82 mph before it derailed on a 30-mph curve Sunday morning, killing four people and injuring more than 60, federal investigators said Monday.
Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board said preliminary data from the train’s recording devices revealed that its throttle went to idle just six seconds before the crash, and that maximum braking occurred only five seconds before.
The speed zone approaching the curve in the Bronx is 70 mph, Weener said.
He said it’s not yet known why the train was traveling so fast or whether the accident was caused by equipment failure or human error. There did not appear to be any problem with the tracks or signals.
The train made nine station stops before the crash, and investigators are “not aware of any prior problems or anomalies with the brakes,” Weener added.
Investigators began interviewing the 46-year-old engineer, William Rockefeller, on Monday, along with three other crew members. Rockefeller’s cellphone is being examined.
Rockefeller has worked for Metro-North for about 20 years, 11 of them as an engineer.
Rockefeller, who was being treated for injuries, has told officials the brakes did not respond when he applied them as the train approached the curve, the New York Daily News reported.
Twenty-six of the injured, including two Metro-North employees, remained hospitalized Monday, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.
Crews on Monday finished righting all passengers cars and the locomotive, and they will be moved to a secure location for further examination, Weener said.