New Jersey train crash black box recorder retrieved at Hoboken

Investigators looking into the New Jersey commuter train crash have recovered the black box recorder from the rear of the train.

A 34-year-old woman died and 114 people were injured when the train crashed into the terminal building at Hoboken during the morning rush hour on Thursday.

The train was at the end of its hour-long southbound journey from Spring Valley, New York, when it hit the terminal.

Witnesses described a scene of terror and chaos as the crash topped support columns in one of the busiest transit hubs in the New York area.

Investigators have been unable to get to the other recorder in the train's front car because of debris, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.

"Right now there are some challenges to the investigation with respect to accessing the wreckage," the spokesman said.

The recorder holds data that includes the train's speed, throttle position and use of brakes.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday it was obvious the train had come into the station too fast, but not why it had.

He added that it was too early to say whether an anti-collision system known as positive train control (PTC) could have prevented the crash.

The system is designed to stop a train if the driver misses a stop signal, and supporters of PTC say it helps overcome human error.

Trains in and out of the Hoboken terminal were suspended on Friday.

The investigation is expected to take between seven and 10 days.

Among those injured and taken to hospital was the train's conductor, named unofficially as Thomas Gallagher.

Reports say investigators are talking to him.

Hoboken station was the scene of another crash in 2011 when a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey train crashed, injuring more than 30 people.

An NTSB investigation later found the train had been going too fast.