nvestigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
What we know: Transit officials tell ABC News that Train 1614, which originated in Rockland County, New York, crashed through a barrier at the end of the track, plowing into a platform and causing a partial collapse of the terminal's roof.
According to federal officials, the sole fatality was a woman standing on the ain platform who was hit by debris from the crash. Two other people suffered life-threatening injuries, and dozens of others are being treated for minor injuries at area hospitals.
The train was traveling at a "high rate of speed" when it crashed, according to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The train's engineer has been hospitalized and is in stable condition, according to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, a union that represents train engineers. He is cooperating with investigators, Christie said.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, the track lacked positive train control technology, which can automatically stop speeding trains when the engineer fails to pull the brake.
The National Transportation Safety Board and New Jersey authorities are investigating the incident.
What investigators want to know: Investigators will likely examine a number of factors, such as whether the engineer was fatigued or recently ingested drugs or alcohol.
Authorities tell ABC News they have no reason to believe the crash was the result of foul play.
In May 2011 a PATH commuter train crashed into the bumpers at the end of a different set of tracks, injuring more than 30 people.
The NTSB later blamed the engineer’s failure to control the train’s speed as it entered the station. The locomotive was traveling at an estimated 13 mph when it crashed, according to the NTSB report.
The agency has confirmed that it will investigate similarities between today’s crash and the incident in 2011.
The crashed through barriers until it hit an interior wall, said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at a press conference. The engineer -- identified by officials as Thomas Gallagher -- was treated an released by from the hospital, according to Christie's office. Gallagher is cooperating with law enforcement investigating the crash, Christie said.
The woman who died was not a passenger on the train but was killed by debris that fell onto the platform after the train crashed into it, Christie said. She was identified by the New Jersey State Medical Examiner's Office as Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, 34, of Hoboken.
"We know what happened," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, referring to the train's speed. "We don't know why it happened."
The historic Hoboken Terminal has structural damage and officials have no estimate on when the NJ Transit section of the station will reopen, Christie said.
The part of the terminal used by PATH trains, however, is fine, officials said. PATH service to the station was restored at 3 p.m., in time for the evening commute.
Both governors applauded the emergency responders and civilians who assisted rescue efforts, evacuating the train as quickly as possible and helping the injured get medical care.
Witnesses described a scene of horror, with one NJ Transit worker who saw the crash saying the train hit the edge of the station platform so hard that it flew up onto the platform and didn't stop until it ran into the wall of the station's waiting room.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," NJ Transit worker Michael Larson told ABC News station WABC.
All of the injured are receiving care at local hospitals, Christie said. One area trauma center, the Jersey City Medical Center, reported earlier in the day Thursday that it was treating three people who sustained critical or serious injuries in the crash.
The Hoboken University Medical Center received a total of 23 patients, a spokesman said. By 4 p.m., two surgeries had been performed, while another patient remained in surgery.
Dozens of people are being evaluated or treated at various area hospitals.
SLIDESHOW: NJ Transit Train Crashes Into Hoboken Terminalmore +
The train, on NJ Transit's Pascack Valley line, started in Spring Valley, NY, at 7:23 a.m. Eastern time, with a scheduled arrival in Hoboken of 8:38 a.m. It struck the terminal building on track 5 at approximately 8:45 a.m, according to NJ Transit.
Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railway Administration are investigating the crash. As is standard, investigators will be looking at all possible causes, including human failure and mechanical problems; they will also look at the possibility of sabotage or foul play, although they suspect neither, officials said.
A NJ Transit train seen through the wreckage after it crashed in to the platform at the Hoboken Terminal Sept. 29, 2016 in Hoboken, New Jersey.more +
Hoboken Terminal is a hub for commuters switching from NJ Transit trains to PATH trains into Manhattan. It is NJ Transit's fifth-busiest station, with 15,000 people boarding there weekdays, according to the The Associated Press.
A prior accident at the same station in 2011 injured more than 30 people in 2011 after a PATH train crashed into bumpers at the end of the tracks, The AP reported.
Source: ABC News.
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