VALHALLA, NY : A fiery crash between a commuter train and an SUV that killed six people on July, Monday 24th 2017

Federal investigators have concluded that a fiery crash between a commuter train and an SUV that killed six people in the suburbs in 2015 was extra deadly because of an unusual rail design, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Monday.

7 On Your Side Investigative Reporter Jim Hoffer has been reporting on the NTSB's suspicions about the third rail's design since the investigation was first launched back in 2015.

The Metro-North Railroad train crashed into an SUV on the tracks at a crossing in Valhalla, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of New York City. The impact sparked an explosion, and flames blasted into the passenger area, burning out the first car of the train. The driver of the SUV and five people aboard the train were killed. More than a dozen other people were injured.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators found that about 340 feet (100 meters) of electrified rail was pulled up from the ground, penetrated the SUV's fuel tank and then sliced into the train, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

The rail was an under-running or under-riding design, in which a metal shoe slips underneath the electrified third rail, rather than skimming along the top. Questions were raised after the crash about whether the collision caused the shoe to pry up the third rail.



Source :
NTSB to release findings on third rail design in 2015 Metro-North crash that killed 6