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In Aftermath of Train Crash, Wary New Jersey Commuters Make the Best of It In Aftermath of Hoboken Train Crash, Wary Passengers Ride Again
(about 2 hours later)
Many residents of the New York region woke up on Friday to long and complicated commutes in the aftermath of the catastrophic train crash that killed one and injured more than 100 at the Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey, which delivered a blow to the region’s busy transportation system on Thursday. HOBOKEN, N.J. — Federal investigators on Friday started sorting through evidence from the train crash that killed a 34-year-old woman, injured more than 100 other people and caused major damage to a busy transportation hub, seeking to determine why the train sped off its track and into the historic terminal here.
At the Secaucus junction, people heading to work walked and jogged, with scarves, hoods and umbrellas drawn tight against a gray and blustery New Jersey morning. Commuters, many of whom already had endured travel times of an hour or more, had braced for trips that would be significantly longer than they were accustomed to. The process to determine what caused the New Jersey Transit commuter train to crash is laced with challenges, investigators said. Among other factors, the damage from the train’s impact, which caused part of the terminal’s roof to collapse after it ran into a wall, has prevented investigators from gaining access to the front car. “There’s a lot of destruction,” Bella Dinh-Zarr, the vice chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, told reporters on Friday morning. “It’s very difficult to get in.”
“Hopefully the boss will be understanding,” said Donald Pantelli, who had given himself an additional two hours to make it to work. Part of the collapsed roof was resting on top of the car. “So, as you can imagine we don’t want anyone to go in there until it’s completely stable,” she said. Machinery was to be brought in to remove the debris from the train.
Though he had planned to catch a bus to Hoboken, Mr. Pantelli found himself rerouted to Jersey City. “It is what it is. We have to make these adjustments in life,” he said. Investigators also said they were hoping to interview the train’s three crew members — the engineer, Thomas Gallagher; the conductor; and a brakeman. Another obstacle facing investigators is the likely presence of asbestos inside the 109-year-old Beaux-Arts building that houses the Hoboken Terminal, Ms. Dinh-Zarr said.
At Penn Station Thursday evening, Daniel Mesnick had given himself a similar cushion, having left his job about two hours early to try to dodge the madness, he said. The event recorder was recovered from the locomotive in the rear of the train on Thursday, federal officials said. The recorder is an important piece of the investigation that can reveal how fast the train was traveling and other information about the crash. As part of an investigation that is likely to last months, the safety board will review several possible factors, including the engineer’s actions, the train’s maintenance and the railroad’s tracks and signals.
The horrific crash occurred during the busy morning commute when the train sped into the station, failed to stop, and traveled up onto the concourse and into the wall of the more than 100-year-old train station. The disaster gave some commuters a chance to be sympathetic regarding the altered routines on Friday. The closing of Hoboken Terminal, which serves six commuter lines, forced commuters to make do with contingency plans provided by New Jersey Transit, which is the third-busiest commuter rail system in the country.
“My @NJTRANSIT train has been turned into a local this morning. It’s an understandable inconvenience,” Doug Matthews wrote on Twitter. Many commuters woke up on Friday to long and complicated commutes into New York and other areas, facing a confusing slate of schedule changes, delays and cancellations with a mixture of weariness, frustration and stoicism.
Some were frustrated by the unpredictability. Many trains on the New Jersey Transit system had been switched to modified weekend schedules, while other lines were experiencing delays. “We have no clue when trains are arriving,” one commuter wrote on Twitter. Many, like Maulik Pokiya, were determined not to let the disaster — among the worst nightmares for regular commuters — keep them from getting where they needed to be. Mr. Pokiya was a passenger on the train as it plowed into the Hoboken Terminal, watching out the window of the second car as electrical wires were being ripped loose from their holds and flashing sparks. The terror had yet to fade from his mind.
One New Jersey Transit police officer at the Secaucus station characterized the traffic as “moderate” compared to an average day, though he said the station may yet get busier. And there were indications from some commuters that travel times were not as bad as were expected. “I didn’t know if the train would be electrified,” he said. Though he was given the option to work form home, Mr. Pokiya was back on another train Friday. He climbed aboard in Oradell, N.J., and was joined by his brother, who usually takes a later train but was providing emotional support.
The crash, and the stark images it generated, represented a commuter’s worst nightmare. A 34-year-old woman, Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, who was standing on the platform when the train came barreling in, was killed. “Since I was safe, I’m not worried,” Mr. Pokiya said. “I was feeling scared, but anything can happen.”
The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators on Thursday to the scene to examine the wreckage. The event recorder, which officials said was recovered Thursday night, can reveal how fast the train was traveling and other information about the crash. The safety board will review several possible factors, including the engineer’s actions and the train’s maintenance. The investigation is very likely to last months. Stephen Schroeder, who was in the train’s first car when it crashed on Thursday — the quiet car where cellphones are supposed to be on mute and conversation kept to a minimum — was similarly unbowed.
When Denise Albert boarded the train at Essex, a New Jersey Transit worker was looking for people who were on the train that crashed yesterday, to interview them. A few raised their hands. “I thought about working from home, but I just prefer being in the office,” said Mr. Schroeder, a resident of Park Ridge who works for a software company.
“I’m worried about when things will be back to normal,” she said. He looked out the window of the bus as it crossed the marshes along the Hackensack River on the New Jersey Turnpike. It was a far cry from the day before.
Many riders said that they were undeterred. “I saw the roof collapse and people were screaming,” he said. “One guy kicked out the emergency exit, and I told him to be careful.”
“It’s shocking, but mass transit is still the best way to go,” said John Nestorson, who normally rides the Pascack Valley line to Hoboken on his way to Manhattan. Today, his journey would take two additional transfers. Mr. Schroeder said he didn’t think he would ride in the first car anymore, as had been his habit.
Those with less visceral connections to the crash had a simpler aim: to get to work on time. At the Secaucus Junction station, people heading to work walked and jogged, with scarves, hoods and umbrellas drawn tight against a gray and blustery New Jersey morning.
Donald Pantelli had allotted an additional two hours to make it to work. “Hopefully, the boss will be understanding,” he said. Though he had planned to take a bus to Hoboken, Mr. Pantelli found himself rerouted to Jersey City. “It is what it is. We have to make these adjustments in life,” he said.
Beverley Terry, riding the shuttle from Secaucus to Jersey City, said she missed the train that crashed because she was running late, an echo of Sept. 11, 2001, when she had been late to her job at the World Trade Center.
“I had to come in today,” Ms. Terry said. “It’s like my mother told me, you always get back on that horse.”