US: Brakes worked on train in deadly NJ crash

NEW YORK (AA) – The brakes were working on a New Jersey Transit commuter train that caused a deadly crash in Hoboken last month, officials said Thursday.

"The brakes functioned as designed," the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report after the train’s damaged air brake system was repaired for testing.

"NTSB investigators found the cab car’s electrical communication network – necessary for brake, signal, and propulsion control – was destroyed in the accident," the report said.

Investigators also tested the signal and train control system and said they "functioned as designed."

The agency did not provide a reason for the Sept. 29 crash that killed a young mother who stood on the platform and, injured more than 100 others.

In a statement last week, the NTSB said the train began accelerating 38 seconds before the crash, from an initial legal speed of 8 miles per hour (13 kph) to a maximum of about 21 mph (34 kph), while the pressure on the brakes remained unchanged.

The speed limit is 10 mph (16 kph) after entering the train station.

The train’s engineer, who was injured in the crash but said he has no memory of the accident, told officials he remembers waking up in the cab lying on the floor after the accident,

Thomas Gallagher said he was fully rested before his shift and told the NTSB that he pulled the brakes one second before impact.

The train had four cars, one less than the usual five, and was very crowded, according to the conductor who was unable to collect fares.