http://uk.news.yahoo.com/york-train-speeding-derailment-investigators-233523207--finance.html?YONKERS, New York (Reuters) - A New York commuter train that derailed on Sunday morning, killing four people, was traveling nearly three times faster than the speed limit for the curved section of track where it crashed, officials said on Monday.
The seven-car Metro-North train's brakes were working properly but were applied just seconds before it derailed, investigators said. They said black-box recorders recovered from the train showed it had been traveling at 82 miles per hour (132 kph) before entering the 30-mile-per-hour (48-kph) curve.
Much more information is in the public domain early on in the USA than in the
UK▸ ... also
"We do know that two minutes before the curve the train was going at 60 miles per hour (97 kph) and had accelerated then up to 82 miles per hour prior to entering the curve," Weener said in an interview with CNN.
The train's throttle was reduced to idle six seconds before derailing and its brakes were activated five seconds before the accident, Weener said at the press conference.
"At this point we are not aware of any problems or anomalies with the brakes," Weener told reporters. Asked if the crash was the result of operator error, he replied, "At this point in time, we can't tell."
