About 50 federal railroad investigation will conduct a massive safety review over the next two months on the Metro North Railroad, in light of the line's recent derailment in the Bronx, New York on on December 1, The New York Post reported.
The Federal Railroad Administration will launch "Operation Deep Dive," largely look into the December 1 derailment, which killed four people and left 70 injured. The investigation will also look into three other Metro-North mishaps since May, officials said.
"Safety is our top priority and this in-depth investigation will help ensure that Metro-North is doing everything possible to improve its safety record," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The investigators will be brought in from agencies throughout the Northeast, as well as those from the Midwest and Washington DC.
A train derailment in Bridgeport Connecticut on May 17 and the May 28 death of a truck foreman who was struck and killed by a Metro-North train will both be looked into as well, according to news reports.
"We have a robust safety effort underway, including an independent blue-ribbon commission that is already studying areas that the strike force is curious about," said Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the train service.
"Nonetheless, because safety is our number one priority, we are always happy to work with anyone who has constructive ideas about keeping our customers and employees safe," Donovan added.
The federal probe will last 60 days, and findings will be available for the public soon thereafter, Donovan said.
The Metro-North commuter train was traveling 82 miles-per-hour before making a curve before it derailed off the track.
Data from the train's recording devices "revealed that its throttle went to idle just six seconds before the crash, and that maximum braking occurred only five seconds before," said National Transportation Safety Board's Earl Weener last week.
William Rockefeller, the train's engineer who was injured in the crash, said that he had lost focus.
"I was in a daze... I don't know what I was thinking, and I just hit the brakes," he told The New York Post.
