SEPTA Crash In Norristown That Injured 10 'Could Have Been Prevented,' NTSB Finds

NORRISTOWN, PA — The major SEPTA crash in Norristown last year that injured 10 people was caused by a failure of the engineer to properly apply the brakes, according to an investigation released in late April by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The crash occurred on May 11, 2025 at 9:45 a.m.

Investigators found that the engineer "became disengaged from his duties for unknown reasons" in the moments before the regional rail line collided with the bumping post at the end of the track at the Norristown Transportation Center.

However, the NTSB was adamant that the engineer should have been backed up by an automatic braking system.

"​​​​This collision could have been prevented by a train control system that did not depend solely on operator vigilance," the report states. "A system that leaves the operator as a single point of failure is vulnerable to safety risks such as operator fatigue, distraction, or incapacitation."

NTSB says that their standing recommendation for all transit authorities is to require transmission-based train control, which would prevent incidents like the one in Norristown.

Investigators also said that SEPTA should have had a way to more seamlessly and efficiently share information from the scene with emergency responders. Crews arriving on scene had only "fragmentary information," NTSB said, and were unaware of the severity of the incident.

SEPTA should require live camera feeds that would provide train dispatchers with better information to help responders, NTSB said.

There were 15 individuals on board. Nine passengers were injured along with the SEPTA engineer. Two of the injuries were severe and required hospitalization.