BBC NEWS
At least one person has been killed and dozens injured, some of them critically, after a commuter train crashed into a railway station in the US state of New Jersey.
The train reportedly went through ticket barriers and into the reception area of Hoboken station. Images show extensive damage to the train carriages and station, with part of the building roof caved in. Witnesses described a scene of horror at the station. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie confirmed there had been one fatality. Earlier reports said three people had died. A huge emergency services operation swung into action following the crash, with firefighters and transport staff helping people from wrecked carriages. Hoboken is across the Hudson River from New York City. Many commuters use the busy station to travel into Manhattan.
A spokeswoman for New Jersey Transit, Jennifer Nelson, told reporters that 20 ambulances had arrived at the scene to take the injured to hospital. Ben Fairclough, a witness who was at the station, told the BBC: "I wasn't on the train, but I arrived just after it happened. There was water coming down off the roof and people climbing out through the windows. "There were people sitting down with blood coming from their head. There were lots of injuries."
US rail safety
In 2008 the US Congress passed a law requiring all trains to install Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by the end of 2015.
But most rail companies were unable to meet the deadline as the system is expensive and complex to install. Some rail lines - including New Jersey Transit - threatened to shut down completely if it was enforced. In response, Congressextended the deadline to install PTC systems to 2018.
None of the 440 trains on the New Jersey Transit rail line are equipped with PTC, nor have any employees been trained on the equipment.
PTC safety systems are designed to automatically override the actions of train engineers if the locomotive is travelling too fast. In effect, they act as a safeguard against "human error" which could cause derailments or collisions.
The system uses wifi, GPS and a specific coding system to relay real-time information from trains to control centres.
Last year, the Guardian reported that US trains were far behind those in Europe, which have had automatic safety systems for years.
Commuter Mark Cardona described a "horror scene" at the station.
"I was on my way to work. I was halfway along the platform when I saw a runaway train coming at me.
"It went full speed into and then through the building.
"I froze. People were screaming... The ceiling started to collapse. I ran for my life."
New Jersey Transit posted on Twitter that the service out of Hoboken station had been suspended as a result of the crash.
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