Driver who caused Metro-North train crash is identified

The commuter rail crash on Tuesday killed six people

Emergency workers stand in and around a burnt Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro North Railroad commuter train near the town of Valhalla, New York (Reuters)

The woman whose SUV got stuck in the path of a Metro-North train barrelling north of New York City, causing the deadliest crash in the railroad's history, has been identified.

Ellen Schaeffer Brody, 49, was killed on impact when the train hit her SUV around 6:30 pm on Tuesday, according to the New York Post. Ms Brody was married and had three children.

Five people on the train were killed in the crash and 15 others were injured. It was the deadliest accident in Metro-North’s history. The commuter rail line shuttles about 285,000 passengers per day.

The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a probe into the accident that could last up to a year.

The train is thought to have been traveling at about 60 mph when it smashed into the SUV and pushed it 400 feet up the track, according to reports. After the initial collision, the electrified third rail – which powers the trains – was ripped up and into the train’s first car, scorching the cabin.

The NTSB is sending a team of more than a dozen investigators to look into the crash, especially the signalling system at the crossing and the speed at which the train was traveling.

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