Metro North Train Derailed While Going 82 MPH on a 30 MPH Curve

Preliminary information from the event recorders of a deadly train derailment last weekend in New York showed that the train was going 82 mph as it approached a curve with a 30 mph speed limit.

Preliminary information from the event recorders of a deadly train derailment last weekend in New York showed that the train was going 82 mph as it approached a curve with a 30 mph speed limit. Speaking to reporters at a Monday press conference, Earl Weener of the  National Transportation Safety Board told reporters that the length of track before the curve had a limit of approximately 70 miles-an-hour. The NTSB is in the process of interviewing the engineer and the other three crew members on the train, and declined to assign fault for the crash on Monday. The agency has released the tracks back to Metro North.

Speaking after the NTSB at the press conference, Senator Chuck Schumer added that when he heard the speed of the train on its approach, "I gulped," adding that it was "premature" to blame "anyone or anything" for the deadly crash. Senator Rick Blumenthal called the train's speed "harrowing." Sunday's crash killed at least four people and injured dozens at the start of one of the busiest travel days of the year.

There were a few other irregular details noted by the NTSB: the brake pressure went to zero at just five seconds before the train came to a stop, and the throttle went to idle six seconds before, Weener added, adding that the NTSB was in the process of determining why that happened. "We are not aware of any problems or anomalies" with the brakes, Weener said. The train made nine stops, apparently without incident, before the early Sunday morning crash. The NTSB's investigators are also analyzing the content of the engineer's cell phone, and have completed toxicology tests. Earlier on Monday, the NTSB released B-roll footage of their investigation into the crash site.