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The Metro-North train involved in the rail accident which killed six people near New York City was within the speed limit for that section of track, investigators say.

The train crash happened after a mother-of-three stopped her car on a level crossing north of the city.

She was killed in the subsequent inferno along with five train passengers.

Accident investigators also said there were no problems with the signals or barrier at the site of the collision.

But they remain unaware why the driver, 49-year-old Ellen Brody, became stranded on the crossing at Valhalla, about 20 miles north of New York City.

An official from the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency leading the probe, said on February 5 that a witness in a nearby car had seen Ellen Brody stop on the crossing in the moments before the train approached.New York Metro North train crash 2015

Investigator Robert Sumwalt said that the barrier was seen to come down on the rear of the car, a Jeep Cherokee, at which point Ellen Brody got out and appeared to inspect the damage.

He said that, according to both the witness and the train driver, after returning to the car she suddenly drove forward slightly – straight into the path of the oncoming train.

Data retrieved from the train’s recording device suggested it was travelling at 58mph an hour, added Robert Sumwalt – just below the 60mph speed limit for that section of track.

In addition to the six deaths there were 15 injuries, seven of them serious.

The electrified third rail of the track came through the front carriage of the train after the crash, setting it on fire.

Passengers had to escape from the rear carriages.

Metro-North, is the second-busiest rail system in the US, serving about 280,000 passengers a day in New York and Connecticut.

Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board issued rulings on five accidents that occurred on the network in 2013 and 2014, criticizing Metro-North while also finding conditions had improved.

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At least 7 people have been killed and twelve others injured after a packed commuter train hit a SUV at a level crossing north of New York City, officials say.

The train, with about 800 passengers on board, hit the Jeep Cherokee near Valhalla – about 20 miles from New York – on February 3 in the evening.

The SUV’s female driver was killed, along with six people on the train, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

The car and front carriage of the train caught fire following the crash.

The packed commuter train had left Grand Central Station in New York City and was heading to Wassaic in south-east New York State.

The crossing gates at the railroad had come down on top of the vehicle, which had stopped on the tracks, Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said.

Photo AP

Photo AP

The driver got out to look at the damage, and then got back into the car to drive forward before it was hit by the train. It pushed the vehicle more than 400ft.

It is not yet clear why the vehicle stalled on the tracks.

As a result of the collision the electrified third rail of the track came through the front carriage of the train.

Passengers had to escape from the rear of the train.

Andrew Cuomo, who visited the site of the crash, said he witnessed “a truly ugly and brutal sight”.

He added: “When you look at the damage done, it’s actually amazing that not more people were hurt.”

Hundreds of passengers were taken to a local rock climbing gym following the crash.

Parts of the railroad remain closed on February 4.

Metro-North is the second-busiest railroad in the US after Long Island Rail Road, serving about 280,000 passengers a day in New York and Connecticut. It was formed in 1983 and serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut. Service on its Harlem Line was suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains after the crash.

Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board issued rulings on five accidents that occurred on the railroad in 2013 and 2014, criticizing Metro-North while also finding conditions had improved.

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