MMR NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Bronx train derailment

Metro-North train that derailed was going 82 mph on a 30 mph curve before it derailed: officials

Locomotive engineer William Rockefeller didn’t hit the brakes until five seconds before the crash, said Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board. Tony Bottalico, general chairman of the Association of Commuter Rail Employees, came to the defense of engineer William Rockefeller, noting he ‘has an impeccable work record.’ Investigators hope to learn more from two of the vehicles black boxes, which have since been retrieved.Crews worked Monday to clear the crushed train and restore service following the derailment Sunday in the Bronx.

The Metro-North train that skidded off the tracks, killing four passengers and injuring 75 more, was travelling at insane 82 mph when it hit a treacherous Bronx curve, the feds said Monday.

The train was travelling 52 miles faster than the 30 mph speed limit at the sharp turn just north of the Spuyten Duyvill station.

And locomotive engineer William Rockefeller didn’t hit the brakes until five seconds before the crash, said Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Rockefeller had taken his hand off the throttle a second earlier — around the time to train was leaving the tracks — and by then it was “very late in the game,” Weener said.

Investigators have recovered the 45-year-old engineer’s cell phone and plan to grill him later about the deadly wreck.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/metro-north-derailment-data-recorder-found-article-1.1534730#ixzz2mMucsIga

The MTA Police Department has identified the four passengers who died in Sunday's Metro-North Railroad derailment at Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx.

The victims have been identified as:

Donna L. Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.

James G. Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.

James M. Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.

Kisook Ahn, 35, of Queens, N.Y