Crews Expected To Move NJ TRANSIT Train Involved In Hoboken Crash
HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Crews are preparing to remove a NJ TRANSIT train from Hoboken Terminal, where it crashed a week ago killing 34-year-old Fabiola Bittar de Kroon and injuring more than 100 people, sources told CBS2.
Crews could be seen surrounding the train Thursday. They will likely remove the locomotive first, then the two cab cars before using equipment to remove the crushed cab control car, CBS2's Christine Sloan reported.
NJ TRANSIT Train Crash: Photos | Videos
Earlier this week, National Transportation Safety Board investigators retrieved data and video recorders from the lead car, which had been buried under rubble since the crash last Thursday. Another recorder previously recovered from the rear car was not working the day of the crash.
Investigators hope the recorders will reveal how fast the train was going and if the brakes were working. Sources have said the train was speeding when it entered the terminal, Sloan reported.
The NTSB also retrieved a backpack belonging to the train's engineer, 48-year-old Thomas Gallagher, and found his cellphone inside.
Officials said the crew has been cooperative, but Gallagher told investigators that he cannot remember what happened on impact.
The NTSB is expected to release an update on the investigation Thursday afternoon.
The Hoboken crash was the third in a series of recent NJ TRANSIT accidents.
The week before, two of its buses collided in the Lincoln Tunnel, leaving dozens hurt, and another bus crash in August left two dead in Newark.
As a result, the Federal Railroad Administration started looking into NJ TRANSIT, finding dozens of safety violations, The Associated Press reported.
NJ TRANSIT has not responded to CBS2's requests for comment.