NJ Transit Line Re-Opens Day After Wednesday Morning Train Crash

The Montclair-Boonton NJ Transit line is up and running after crews worked through Wednesday night's storms to clean up a truck that was hit by a train early Wednesday morning.

Service was restored to the branch at 5 a.m. Thursday morning when the contractor completed the cleanup of the Main Street crossing, said Chief NJ Transit spokesman John Durso Jr.

The first NJ Transit train to travel through Little Falls was expected to be the 6 a.m. train today, according to a report on 7online.com.

PSE&G originally estimated 1,300 customers would be without power as crews repaired the damage to a utility pole. However, since the cleanup took a long time, crews were able to complete the repairs without disrupting power, said PSE&G spokesperson Kristine Snodgrass.

The repairs were completed by 3 a.m. Thursday, she said.

“Trains are traveling through the area at a reduced speed and rail personnel and police are on scene as a precaution,” said Durso.

The investigation into the accident is ongoing and NJ Transit is looking into “a number of factors (for the crash),” he said.

Specific of the investigation cannot be discussed, but Durso said officials have already determined the crossing gates were working as intended at the scene of the accident.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Jaswinder Singh of Carteret, had told investigating officials after the accident those same crossing gates were not working prior to the accident.

“The rapid cleanup and restoration of service less than 24 hours after this incident is a testament to the collaborative efforts between NJ Transit, PSE&G, Passaic County Sheriff and first responders throughout the region,” he said.

Durso praised the efforts of NJ Transit and PSE&G crews for working throughout the night despite the “extremely challenging conditions of last evening's storms.”

The Wednesday morning crash left 10 people injured, two of which were in serious condition including the train engineer and a Little Falls crossing guard.

The engineer and eight others were released from the hospital Wednesday night, said Durso.

Linda Knaver, a Little Falls crossing guard who was injured from flying debris, remains at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson.

“They are still assessing her (Knaver), but it seems she may be okay,” said Little Falls Police Chief John Dmuchowski on Wednesday afternoon.