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The Toronto-bound train that derailed near Burlington on Sunday was travelling at more than four times the authorized speed when it jumped the tracks and slammed into a building, killing three VIA Rail employees and injuring 42 passengers.

The train’s speed was “enhanced” when it left the station and it never slowed down, said Tom Griffith, the Transportation Safety Board investigator in charge.

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The train was going 108 km/hour as it switched tracks, Griffith said.

“It can now be confirmed that the train entered the crossover from track 2 to track 3 at approximately 67 mph,” said Griffith. “The maximum authorized speed at that crossover is 15 mph.”

He was unable to explain why train 92, en route from Niagara Falls to Toronto, was going so fast. It was switching tracks when the locomotive and five coaches derailed.

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The train’s so-called black box revealed that the brakes had not been applied, said Mr. Griffith.