Video: New York metro derailment: train was travelling at 82 mph as it entered 30 mph curve, investigators say A commuter train that derailed over the weekend, killing four passengers, was hurtling at 82 mph as it entered a 30 mph curve, a federal investigator said Monday. But whether the wreck was the result of human error or brake trouble was still unclear, he said. Asked why the train was going so fast, National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said the information on the locomotive's speed was preliminary and extracted from the Metro-North train's two data recorders, taken from the wreckage after the Sunday morning accident in the Bronx. He also said investigators had begun interviewing the crew members, but he would not disclose what the engineer had told them. Mr Weener said the throttle went to idle six seconds before the derailed train came to a complete stop - "very late in the game for a train going that fast" - and the brakes were fully engaged five seconds before the train stopped. Asked whether the tragedy was the result of human error or faulty brakes, Weener said: "The answer is, at this point in time, we can't tell."