Metro-North’s Harlem Line was involved in a fatal crash that left five commuters dead in Valhalla, NY, on Tuesday, but the train is back at work again and only a handful of commuters were onboard when it left the Grand Central station by 11:47 a.m. on Thursday – with the first car where the five fatalities occurred totally empty.
Barely 38 hours after the fatal Tuesday crash, commuters were back on the rail with Harlem Line even though they appeared nervous, with many of them staring out of the windows in Valhalla at the exact location where the crash had occurred, with many investigators still at the scene of the incident.
It is possible that the first car where the five fatalities were sitting before the Tuesday crash was empty because the train took off at a low hour – and not the rush hour; but then regular riders that are not accustomed to sitting at the first car would not have done so anyway.
“I was wondering if anyone was going to sit in the first car,” said 26-year-old Jacob Mejorado who as a regular rider would not even consider sitting at the first car.
And Michael Dittelman, another regular commuter said he just did not feel like sitting in the front car, according to him, “It’s like lightning striking twice.”
R.J. Snyder, a conductor with the train said most passengers did not appear apprehensive in any way. “Everyone keeps telling me what a good job we did getting the trains running again,” he said.