In that incident, officials said both trains had received the green light even though the freight train was actually occupying two tracks because its rear cars were still switching to a siding. The engineer on the commuter train told officials that he believed the track was clear because he had passed the freight train's locomotive. But as he approached the switch, the engineer of the commuter train saw the end of the freight train still on the main line and hit the train's 31st car, officials said.
