WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board thanking them for their swift response and requesting updates on the investigation.

'We have commuters across this country, and especially in New Jersey, who rely on our transit system. They need to feel safe in our trains and on our tracks. I viewed the site in Hoboken and it looks like there are a lot of people lucky to be alive following a crash of that nature. I thanked the first responders, who once again were there when we needed them,' said Rep. Pascrell.

'I want to send my condolences to the family of the woman who lost her life today. Rail safety must be a priority at the state and federal level.'

While it is premature to know what caused or could have prevented the crash, he also addressed a push for Congressional transit funding and implementation of important safety technologies, like Positive Train Control (PTC) systems.

Rep. Pascrell wrote a letter in 2015 - in the wake of the tragic Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia - to the Executive Director of New Jersey Transit for an update on the implementation of PTC systems on its fleet of passenger railroad.