Commuter train crashes into New Jersey station

A commuter train crashed into a station in New Jersey during Thursday morning rush hour, causing extensive damage and injuring scores of people.

Emergency crews responded at the scene of the train derailment, which closed Hoboken station, located across the Hudson River from New York City.

Authorities said at least 108 people were injured, several critically. One woman standing on the platform was killed by debris. 

The train came off the track in a covered area of the station between the platform and waiting area, knocking down pillars and causing a metal roof structure to collapse.

"All of a sudden, there was an abrupt stop and a big jolt that threw people out of their seats," Ross Bauer, a passenger, told The Associated Press. "The lights went out, and we heard a loud crashing noise - like an explosion - that turned out to be the roof of the terminal...I heard panicked screams, and everyone was stunned."

Train 'simply did not stop'

It is unclear how fast the packed train was going when is smashed into the concrete-and-steel rail bumper at the end of the track. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said it approached the area "at much too high a speed," and that it would be up to law enforcement professionals to pursue the facts.

"It simply did not stop," local news WFAN anchor John Minko, who witnessed the crash, told 1010 WINS. "It went right through the barriers and into the reception area."

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were sent to the scene to investigate whether an equipment failure, an incapacitated engineer, or something else had caused the crash. 

Calls for anti-collision technology

None of New Jersey Transit's trains are equipped with positive train control (PTC), a safety system designed to automatically slow down or halt trains traveling too fast. US Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the tragedy showed there was an urgent need for better safety technology and improved training. 

"This catastrophe was caused by a runaway train - traveling too fast and out of control. There is no excuse," he said in a statement.

The train, which began its journey at Spring Valley, New York, was also not equipped with a camera in the front cab that could provide an insight into what the operator was doing in the lead-up to the crash.

Hoboken station is New Jersey Transit's fifth-busiest and a major transit point for trains, buses and ferries taking commuters into New York City. The terminal, built in 1907, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

A train crash at the station in May 2011 injured more than 30 people. A subsequent investigation determined excessive speed was the main cause of the accident.

cw,nm/ks (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)