Hoboken Train Crash 2016: Inspectors Found Safety Issues Prior To Fatal Tragedy

Federal inspectors found multiple safety violations at Hoboken Terminal only months before a fatal train crash claimed the life of a 34-year-old woman and injured more than a hundred other riders, a NJ Transit official stated during a state oversight hearing Friday.

NJ Transit Executive Director Steve Santoro detailed numerous alleged violations discovered during a federal spring inspection effort during Friday’s hearing, including:

• On-duty workers using personal cell phones
• Failure to equip trains with required emergency equipment, including working fire extinguishers
• Crew members failing to perform required brake tests on trains
• Trains stopping too close to each other
• Train engineers failing to blow horns at grade crossings
• A failure to rehire at key NJ Transit positions, including the chief of its Office of System Safety

Federal investigators’ recent findings come on the heels of reports that the ill-fated Sept. 29 train was traveling over twice the station’s speed limit.

• See related article: Investigators Release New Details In Hoboken Crash Probe

During the crash, 34-year-old Hoboken mother Fabiola Bittar De Kroon was killed after being hit by debris on the Hoboken platform while the crash's impact caused the terminal's roof to collapse, sending flying metal airborne, officials said.

• See related article: Hoboken NJ Train Crash Latest: Victim Identified, More Than 100 Injured
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NJ Transit Executive Director Steven Santoro previously said that riders will find a few significant differences in the wake of the crash.

“As an extra safety measure, trains entering Hoboken Terminal will decrease their approach speed from 10 mph to 5 mph to complement the new safety measure of having the conductor ride in the cab car with the engineering.”

“The combination of additional track space as well as the added safety measure will demonstrate that we are working swiftly and purposefully toward providing our customers with an optimal commute,” Santoro said.

• See related article: NJ Transit Makes Rule Change After Tragic Hoboken Train Crash
• See related article: Rider Plans To Sue NJ Transit For Hoboken Train Crash

Authorities fully reopened the terminal on Oct. 17.

• See related article: Hoboken Terminal To 'Fully Reopen' After Fatal NJ Transit Train Crash

Photo: National Transportation Safety Board

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