Deadly Pascack Valley Train Increased Speed Entering the Station: NTSB Officials

The National Transportation Safety Board has released details downloaded from data and video recorders on the Pascack Valley Line commuter train that was involved in last week's deadly accident at the Hoboken Terminal.

The victim was Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, 34, of Hoboken. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said de Kroon was hit by debris on the platform when the train crashed.

In addition to the fatality, 108 people were injured in the 8:45 a.m. crash Sept. 29.

The engineer of the train told investigators that he has "no memory" of the crash and that he felt "fully rested," according to Bella Dinh-Zarr, vice-chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "He remembers waking up on the floor of the cab," she said.

Read update: Tears For Young Mother Killed In Hoboken Train Crash As Probe Continues

The event recorder inside the train, the so-called "black box" which was built in 1995, was not working — possibly because "that's quite an old event recorder."

The NTSB released the following information Thursday, warning that the information, gathered from both recorders, is preliminary and subject to change as data is validated.

• Information from the forward-facing video and event data recorders was successfully recovered Thursday at the NTSB’s recorder laboratory here. Both recorders appear to have been working as designed, and captured the engineer’s entire trip that morning, including the accident sequence. The forward-facing, color video from the cab car of train 1614 is of good quality and includes audio from an exterior microphone. Information obtained from the recorders includes:
• 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. 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 event recorder indicates throttle increased from idle to the #4 position while the train was traveling about 8 mph, approximately 38 seconds before the collision. Train speed began to increase and reached a maximum of about 21 mph.
• According to the event recorder data the throttle position went from #4 to idle just prior to the collision, and then engineer-induced emergency braking occurred less than a second before the collision with the bumping post.
• The event recorder shows train speed was about 21 mph when it collided with the bumping post. Event recorder speeds during the final seconds are consistent with train speed estimates obtained from the NTSB’s preliminary analysis of images from the forward facing video camera.

NTSB officials said a group of technical experts from the NTSB and the parties to the investigation is scheduled convene at NTSB headquarters in Washington on Oct. 11, to continue to verify and validate the data recovered from both cab car recorders.

No analysis is provided in the facts released from the event and video recorder data extractions, NTSB officials said, cautioning against drawing conclusions yet. Analysis of the findings from these recorders and from other facts gathered during the comprehensive investigation will take place after the factual record is complete, they said in the press release.

The investigation remains in the fact-gathering phase, which could take a year or more.

Meanwhile, Metro-North will continue to cross-honor NJ Transit tickets on its Hudson and Harlem Lines for train service to and from Grand Central Terminal. For full details on parking, bus and other travel options click here.

Also, NJ Transit has updated its temporary service plans:

Main/Bergen County/Pascack Valley/Port Jervis Lines Remain on Weekend Schedule

NJ TRANSIT is continuing the existing alternate service plan for Thursday October 6th with rail service into and out of Hoboken Terminal remaining suspended.

NJ TRANSIT continues to monitor ridership volumes on the Main/Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines and has been deploying additional capacity, when available, in selected areas to help alleviate overcrowding.

Cross honoring with PATH, ferries, NJ TRANSIT bus, private carriers and light rail will continue until further notice.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Customers who normally travel to Hoboken should still purchase tickets and passes to Hoboken, so that they may be cross honored by rail into New York Penn Station or by shuttle bus from Secaucus to Liberty State Park.

• Customers for trains normally bound for Hoboken are advised NOT to use Trip Planner on njtransit.com or on the mobile app. Please use the latest customer notice by clicking on the “Critical Service Advisory” located on njtransit.com.

Rail

View printable schedules HERE.

• Main, Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines will continue to operate on a weekend schedule originating/terminating in Secaucus, with stops at Teterboro and Woodcliff Lake stations (weekdays only).

• Two additional peak-period trains will operate from Port Jervis in each direction:
  • In the morning, two trains will depart Port Jervis at 5:33 a.m. and 6:33 a.m. These trains will make all stops to Suffern, then stop only at Route 17, Ridgewood, Glen Rock-Boro Hall, and Radburn before operating express to Secaucus.Connecting trains depart Secaucus at 7:48 a.m. and 8:46 a.m. and arrive in New York at 8:03 a.m. and 9:01 a.m.
  • In the afternoon/evening, two trains will depart Secaucus at 5:19 p.m. and 7:27 p.m. (connections from New York at 5:03 p.m. and 7:08 p.m.). These trains will operate express to Radburn, then stop at Glen Rock-Boro Hall, Route 17 and Suffern. After Suffern, these trains will make all stops to Port Jervis, arriving there at 7:29 p.m. and 9:22 p.m., respectively.