New Jersey train crash: Event recorder recovered

Investigators probing a deadly crash of a commuter train in New Jersey, in which one woman was killed and over 100 persons injured, have said a potentially key piece of evidence was recovered which could help them determine the cause of the accident, a media report said.

Investigators retrieved an event recorder from the New Jersey Transit train that hurtled past its stopping point on Thursday at the Hoboken station and rammed through a passenger concourse causing major structural damage, CNN reported on Friday.

The investigators expect to download crucial information from the device, an official said.

The train, packed with passengers and travelling way too fast, slammed into a bumper block, went airborne and hit the concourse at 8.30 a.m. (local time) during rush hour.

The crash led to the suspension of New Jersey Transit train service to and from the Hoboken station, one of the busiest transit hubs in the New York area, forcing thousands of persons to adjust their commuting plans.

New Jersey Transit posted a customer notice on its website advising commuters of their options until the damage could be assessed and repaired

A separate train system, PATH, continued to run through Hoboken.

Passengers told the media that it was train number 1614 on the Pascack Valley Line, which left Spring Valley, New York at 7.23 a.m. bound for Hoboken and was apparently running late.

--IANS

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