RobotRisk › Metro-North › 01 Dec 2013
Spuyten Duyvil derailment - no PTC/alerter to catch engineer error
S5 · 01 Dec 2013 · Metro-North · Bronx, NY, USA
Record
| Company | Metro-North |
| Industry | Other |
| Type(s) | fatality |
| Date | 01 Dec 2013 (day precision) |
| Time of day | 07:19 ET |
| Location | Bronx, NY, USA · Spuyten Duyvil |
| Severity | (fatality or catastrophic loss) |
| Scale | 1 train / 4 fatalities, ~70 injured |
| Confidence | high |
| Verified flag | Yes - independently re-checked against the cited source |
Summary
A Metro-North train derailed at 82 mph in a 30 mph curve at Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx after the engineer, who had fallen asleep/lost situational awareness, failed to brake; NTSB found the absence of Positive Train Control and an inadequate in-cab alerter/warning system were contributing safety deficiencies. 4 passengers died and dozens were injured.
Primary source
Publisher: The New York Times · Retrieved: 2026-09-16
Supporting source rows (1)
| Date | Supporting source row | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Dec 2013 | Spuyten Duyvil derailment - no PTC/alerter to catch engineer error | The New York Times | The New York Times |
Other context
fatality context
Metro-North industry position
Related incidents
Other Metro-North entries
- None on file.
Report a correction
Also from Critical Systems Analysis: CSA - functional safety engineering · Company directory · FSTalent - functional safety jobs