Second Event Recorder Uncovered From Hoboken Train Crash

Investigators have uncovered the speed of the New Jersey Transit train that crashed in Hoboken last week was traveling over twice the speed limit for the train to enter the terminal. Investigators say the train had accelerated to about 21 miles per hour just before it crashed into the terminal on September 29, killing a woman and wounding more than 100 others.

Investigators had reported last week that the engineer claimed the train was only going 10-mph at the time of the crash. What investigators now know is the train was entering the station at eight miles per hour when it suddenly accelerated. A second event recorder taken from the train’s wreckage shows the engineer activated the bell that signals its approach to the terminal before suddenly accelerating and then braking only at the moment before the train crashed through a bumper and into the terminal wall.

The train crash is still under investigation as to whether the acceleration in speed was due to a mechanical malfunction or human error. In the initial interview, the train’s 48-year-old engineer told officials he did not remember the accident and woke up on the floor of the train’s cab after the crash. Investigators will work tirelessly to determine exactly what caused the wreck.

The new information causes many to wonder if the train crash was intentional and if technologies to prevent the train from accelerating were in place. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, there is new technology known as positive train control that can automatically stop or slow a train. It has been speculated that this particular technology would have prevented the crash in Hoboken.