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Investigators have begun their probe into the commuter train collision which took place in the U.S. state of Connecticut during Friday evening rush hour, leaving 60 injuries, government officials said in a press briefing Saturday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) started its investigation into the accident Saturday morning. It will be looking at the conditions of the brakes, wheels, cars and tracks, said NTSB member Earl Weener.
"We'll determine how the accident happens and look at ways to prevent the injuries from occurring again," he said, adding "in terms of the trains operation, we'll be looking at how the crew behaved and how the crew operated the train."
According to Earl, the initial information from the black boxes in the two commuter trains serving New York City has been downloaded, and foul play has not been ruled out. The on-scene investigation will take about seven to 10 days, but it could be some time before the agency determines exactly what caused the derailment and collision.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said they have not yet have a date as to when the train's service will be restored. He advised passengers that alternative transportation will be put into place and the updated information could be found online.
"We will put more stations that are currently out of order back to order, if it becomes possible to electrify farther up the system," said Dannel.
Explaining to the press about the slow restoration, he said the rail lines are in the midst of a long term project to replace an ancient system, therefore, only two of the rail tracks are available.
About 700 people were on board the trains when one heading east from New York City's Grand Central Station to New Haven derailed about 6:10 p.m. just outside Bridgeport, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials said.
The train was hit by a train heading west from New Haven to Grand Central on an adjacent track, said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. Some cars on the second train also derailed as a result of the collision.
Shattered glass, and the metal roof of the train left mangled, sheared and bent right onto passengers' seats, was evidence of just how violent the force of the impact was.
"Everything just came to a stop. Everybody went flying and the kids were crying," said passenger Bilotti. "Then I saw a huge crowd of dust came rolling in, and a lot of emergency vehicles showed up."
As of Saturday morning, Amtrak service was still suspended between New York and New Haven, Connecticut, while limited northeast regional service was available between Boston and New Haven, Connecticut.
Service is operating as scheduled between New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and Springfield Shuttle service between New Haven, Conn., and Springfield, Mass., is also operating as scheduled, Amtrak said.
