Commuter Train Derailment in the Bronx Kills Four

The seven-car southbound Metro North train originated in Poughkeepsie and was pushed by a locomotive in the rear, headed to Grand Central Station. It derailed just north of the "Spuyten Duyvil station near where tracks pass under the Henry Hudson Bridge," write Matt Flegenheimer and J. David Goodman.

See slide 7 of 14 that also shows the convergence of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers]. Note the sharp curve. All seven cars of the train derailed; one just feet away from the Harlem River.

A senior city official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the train operator had told emergency medical workers that the brakes had failed, but that the operator’s account had not been confirmed.

"The Metro-North's Hudson line serves New York City and Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, ending in Poughkeepsie," according to a USA Today article that features a video with audio of the crash scene. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was at the scene. The paper notes that Spuyten Duyvil is Dutch for "devil's spout."

According to the CBS article, which features several audio and one video tape of the crash scene, "National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators arrived on the scene Sunday afternoon, and their probe is expected to last a week to 10 days, said Earl Weener of the NTSB.

MTA spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said the big curve where the derailment occurred is in a slow speed area. The black box should be able to tell how fast the train was traveling, Anders said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road, issued this report for its customers:

For Monday, December 2, limited Hudson Line service will operate due to the train derailment in the vicinity of Spuyten Duyvil station. See full service details.

Metro-North experienced a serious crash in Connecticut last May when two trains collided.