NJ Transit train crashed at twice the speed limit in Hoboken: NTSB

A NJ Transit train that crashed as it entered the Hoboken Terminal last week was going twice the speed limit at the time of the fatal collision, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The train was traveling at 8 mph, but 38 seconds before the crash, the train accelerated for 30 seconds and hit 21 mph. The engineer hit the brake one second before the crash, NTSB said.

The speed limit is 10 mph in that area.

NTSB collected the information from the forward-facing video and event data recorders.

“The forward facing video showed the cab car colliding with and overriding the bumping post at the end of the track #5 platform at the Hoboken Terminal,” according to an NTSB statement describing the video. “A large flash was observed as the car collided with the panel just beyond the bumping post.”

“The forward facing video recorder captured the sound of one blast of the train’s horn about one minute before the collision, while the train was in the yard leading to the terminal. The train’s bell began sounding shortly afterward and continued until the end of the recording.”

The crash killed one and injured more than 100. The final incident report from NTSB could take up to a year.