The brakes of the commuter train that barreled into a New Jersey station last month were working properly, according to a federal report released Thursday.
While some of the equipment on the NJ Transit train was damaged in the incident at the Hoboken Terminal, investigators were able to repair and test an air brake system in the front cab car, where the train operator was stationed, as well as the rear locomotive brakes.
"The brakes function as designed," the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary findings, which come two weeks after the Sept. 29 wreck that killed a bystander on a station platform and injured more than 100 others, mostly inside the train.
The NTSB did not give a reason for the cause of the crash. It said that the train operator did not remember what happened right before the accident, which had been previously reported. The operator, Thomas Gallagher, 48, also said he was fully rested before his shift.
Related: NJ Transit Train Hit Hoboken Platform at 21 MPH: NTSB
"He stated that when he checked the speedometer, he was operating at 10 mph upon entering the terminal track," the report said. "He said he remembers waking up in the cab laying on the floor after the accident, but has no memory of the accident."
Emergency brakes were initiated just one second before the crash, the report found.
Results of separate toxicology reports of crew members, including the operator, were not immediately known.
The train, which was about six minutes late arriving to Hoboken, reached a maximum speed of 21 mph — twice the speed limit — at the moment it slammed into a post at the station. The accident occurred during the morning rush-hour, and the crashing locomotive brought down part of the roof of the century-old station and sent commuters fleeing for their lives.
The report is based in part on a forward-facing video and data recorder that was retrieved from the front cab car. Another black box retrieved from the back of the train was not working.
