A runaway train ploughed into a New Jersey rail terminal on Thursday morning, killing at least one person, injuring 108 others and raising questions about the safety of the US’s second-busiest commuter railroad.
The inbound train overshot the track at 8:45am and rammed the station in Hoboken, a transport hub on the west bank of the Hudson river across from Manhattan, according to New Jersey Transit. The commuter transport agency reported “multiple critical injuries” as a result of the crash, while the office of New Jersey governor Chris Christie confirmed one death.
The accident came as NJ Transit, the train’s operator, is enmeshed in a political battle over transport financing. State legislators and Mr Christie have been unable to resolve differences over how to raise the state gasoline tax to invest in transport, including the more than century-old passenger rail system.