HOBOKEN, N.J. —Federal investigators estimate a commuter train was traveling two to three times the 10 mph speed limit when it slammed into a New Jersey rail station last week, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The official, who was briefed on the investigation, said investigators estimated the train was moving between 20 and 30 mph when it crashed into Hoboken Terminal last Thursday. The official was not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The speed estimate is based on the extent of damage, not on data from the train’s instruments.
Federal investigators recovered a data recorder, video recorder and the engineer’s cellphone from the front car of the train Tuesday afternoon and sent them to an agency lab for analysis.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator James Southworth said they don’t yet know if the recorders contain any useful information.
Access to the devices had been hampered by debris from the crash. Southworth said it would be at least a day before investigators are able to move the crashed train.
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