Safety on one of America's busiest commuter rail services has been called into question after a packed passenger train slammed into a jeep, killing six people north of Manhattan.
The female driver of the jeep and five passengers on the Metro North train were killed in Tuesday's rush-hour accident, which ripped up tracks and saw a railroad car explode.
Fifteen other people were injured, seven of them seriously, in what should have been a monotonous but totally safe journey home to the suburbs after a busy working day in America's largest city.
It was the worst of three deadly crashes in less than two years on a rail line that carries around 280,000 passengers a day.
In December 2013, a train travelling nearly three times the recommended speed derailed in the Bronx when the driver briefly nodded off. Four people were killed and 67 passengers injured.
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In May 2013, two commuter trains collided at rush hour in Fairfield, Connecticut, injuring more than 70 passengers.
Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board criticised Metro North Railroad for safety management problems relating to five accidents between May 2013 and March 2014.
A report highlighted safety gaps at Metro-North and New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and failings in Federal Railroad Administration regulations, inspection and oversight.
Had previous NTSB recommendations been implemented by the FRA, many of the safety issues encountered in these accidents could have been prevented, the report said last November.
The train slammed into the jeep around 6.30pm local time on Tuesday, triggering an explosion and fire.
The blast caused the electrified third rail of the train tracks to rise and ram through the train, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
The train had departed from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and the collision occurred in Valhalla, just outside New York.
Frantic passengers had to evacuate by breaking glass on the doors to get out, passenger Neil Rader told NBC television. He added that he saw 50 to 60 ambulances at the scene.
