Speed May Have Been Factor In Metro-North Derailment, County Executive Says

RYE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A Metro-North train derailed Thursday near Rye, New York.

The train was traveling from Stamford to Grand Central station when five of the 12 cars slid off the tracks around 5:30 p.m.

"We've seen too many of these, whether it's Amtrak or sometimes Metro-North," Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said.

Officials said there were 185 passengers on board and 12 people suffered minor injuries, including one person who had a preexisting heart issue. There were no serious injuries.

"At that time, there were 12 injuries. Of those 12 injuries, four were transported to local hospitals, including the Metro-North conductor," MTA interim executive director Ronnie Hakim said.

The MTA said a recent inspection revealed a "heat kink" in the stretch of track, prompting a routine speed reduction of 10 miles per hour around the curve.

"The early reports are they were going too fast, but we'll let the investigation happen and see where that goes," Astorino said.

"There is significant concrete tie damage," Hakim said. "Crews will be working throughout the night to be able to try to restore for a relatively normal rush hour service in the morning."

The MTA said the derailment was considered minor and happened at slow speed.

Metro-North's New Haven line was experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes due to the derailment. Click here to check current conditions.

The derailment also caused delays along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service. Click here to check Amtrak status.

In:
• Metro-North Railroad