Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that Metro-North service on the Harlem line has resumed after Tuesday night's fatal crash between an SUV on the train tracks and a commuter train from New York City.
The National Transportation Safety Board has removed wreckage from the site in Valhalla, NY. At this point, it's known that the 5:44 p.m. train from Grand Central, due in the Southeast station at 7:08 p.m., barreled into Ellen Brody's Mercedes SUV, which was parked on the tracks. Apparently one of the barricade crossing gates had come down onto the SUV, and another driver who was behind Brody said, "It looks like where she stopped she did not want to go on the tracks, but the proximity of the gate to her car, you know, it was dark — maybe she didn’t know she was in front of the gate."
Brody had gotten out of her car to inspect, and apparently tried to wave at the oncoming train to stop, but the train's engineer, who attempted to brake the trains, couldn't stop the "87-ton rail cars," which were going at 58 mph (under the 60-70 mph speed limit for trains) in time. The SUV was pushed 1,000 feet from the crossing, and a 400-foot long piece of the third rail pierced the first Metro-North train car "like a skewer." Brody plus five passengers in that train car were killed.
NTSB vice chairman Robert Sumwalt said, "The entire interior of the first rail car was burned out, and the initial indication is that the fire was fueled by gasoline from the SUV." He added, "For whatever reason, the Mercedes SUV was stopped on tracks. [On Thursday] we should be able to report speed train was traveling when it struck the SUV ... We have somebody that's looking at rail traffic signals, highway traffic signals and crossing gates at rail crossings."
Augustine F. Ubaldi, a railroad engineering expert who is not involved in the official inquiry, said investigators would examine, among other factors, whether the crossing was properly synchronized with the traffic light to keep traffic moving. Although the line of sight at the crossing was not ideal because of the curve in the road, he said the lights and the gate were sufficient to make it clear that a train was coming.
Mr. Ubaldi said he was more concerned with finding out why the woman stopped on the tracks. In such a situation, he said riders should break through the gates if necessary.
“The gates are designed to break,” he said. “If you get stuck at the crossing, floor it. Smash the gate. It’s a far less severe consequence than staying on the crossing.”
One driver "said he was venting just last week with co-workers about the railroad crossings in Valhalla. He said he worried about how quickly the trains pass after the gates come down. But they all agreed that the Commerce Street crossing was particularly dangerous. 'We know that coming down the hill of the cemetery, you have to put the brakes on earlier,' he said."
During the investigation, service had been suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains. The MTA worked to rebuild 500 feet of the third rail and repair damaged circuits. The first Metro-North train to travel over the repaired track was the 4:26 a.m. departure from Southeast, due into Grand Central at 5:30 a.m. The MTA warned that there would be delays.
Cuomo said, "I want to thank everyone for their tireless efforts in the wake of this devastating accident. My thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of the victims of Tuesday night's tragedy during this painful time."
