NTSB releases updates about engineer behind train crash

NEW JERSEY (FOX 5 NY) - Investigators released new information about the engineer behind the controls along with details about one of the data recorders recovered from the crash.

The NTSB told Fox 5 the event recorder or black box from the rear of the train was not working at the time of the crash, which adds to the mystery of what went wrong. Train engineer, Thomas Gallagher, told investigators everything seemed normal as the train was going into the station.

Days after the accident that took one young mother's life and injured more than 100, workers are around the clock clearing away debris at the Hoboken terminal. They need to reach the train so they can get the event recorder and camera from the front cab. The NTSB says they interviewed the engineer, who told them the brakes were working when he tested them.

"He [Gallagher] said that when he checked, he was operating at 10 mph when the train went into the station. Then he woke up on floor of the cab," said NTSB vice chairman Bella Din-Zarr

Investigators know the train entered the station much faster than the posted 10 mph speed limit. Fox 5 caught up with Senator Robert Menendez at the New Jersey state Hispanic parade. He told Fox 5 that positive train control technology, which automatically slows down or stops trains speeding above the limit, will be mandatory by 2018, but he also voiced his concern that NJ transit is lagging behind.

The NTSB said it has no timeline of when their fact-finding mission will be finished. They are facing safety obstacles because of the fragile nature of the station. Once the cleanup is complete, Senator Menendez will call congressional hearings to secure the safety of riders.