NTSB launches NJ Transit train collision investigation as Montclair-Boonton Line service is restored
Service on NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line resumed Saturday morning after more than a dozen people were injured in a train collision in Montclair.
NJ Transit, New Jersey Transit Police and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating what caused two trains to collide — and one car to derail — Friday evening at the Bay Street station.
NTSB crews arrived on the scene as the federal investigation into the cause of the accident on the rails got underway. The trains involved in the collision have not been moved.
NJ Transit said it was able to restore service since the Montclair-Boonton Line terminates at Bay Street on weekends.
A spokesperson for the state agency said 17 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the collision just before 7 p.m., shutting down service on the line for hours in both directions.
A photo of one of the damaged trains shows the front metal portion of it caved in.
"Our primary focus during this incident is the safety of our passengers, our employees and our first responders," the NJ Transit spokesperson said.
A passenger who felt the impact said it was like a car crash.
"My bag kinda just dropped all over the floor and everything," Shaun Barrett said. "I was sitting on the one chair and then it propelled me to the other seat and luckily I caught myself."
Rail tickets and passes were cross-honored on NJ Transit buses during the suspension.