Bronx rail crash
Emergency workers at the site of a Metro-North train derailment in the Bronx borough of New York (Reuters) Reuters/Carlo Allegri

Photos of the New York Bronx train derailment shows how close one of its carriages came to sinking in the Harlem river on Sunday morning.

Four people have died and up to 62 people are now been reported injured after the Hudson Line train jumped the tracks near Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx at 7.30am.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN all passengers had now been accounted for - following an underwater police search for survivors.

It was unclear how fast the train was travelling and how many passengers were on board.

"In terms of causes, we don't know exactly what happened," Cuomo said.

But Passenger Frank Tatulli, who suffered head and neck injuries while escaping from one of the derailed cars, told US media he thought the train was travelling "a lot faster" than usual.

The train operator - who was among the injured - later told investigators he applied brakes to the train, but it didn't slow down.

Firefighters and emergency rescuers swarmed the scene where of eight train cars, seven were off the tracks including two that had flipped on their sides. One car was just feet away from the Harlem river.

Ellen Stevenson, 57, thought her daughter was on the train and came rushing.

"My daughter wasn't on that train thank god," Stevenson told New York Daily News. "I heard a loud screeching, like a loud grind. Something wasn't right. It was going too fast. Two officers were holding another officer up the hill. He was limping. He needed help. They were putting another woman on a stretcher. There was blood on the sheet but she was conscious and moving. It was going fast. It disconnected past the curve. I take this train everyday. Usually they slow down here."

WCBS reported today's derailment occurred near where a freight train derailed in July. No one was injured in that accident.

Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were due to attend the scene.

The MTA said services were suspended on Sunday on part of the Hudson Line, Metro-North, between Tarrytown and Grand Central. A bus service will be provided between White Plains and Tarrytown Station for customers wishing to travel in and out of Grand Central.

Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said a family centre has been set up in the Bronx and a call number for people seeking information on loved ones:

The address is: JFK High School at 99 Terrace View Avenue in the Bronx has been established as the family center and 718-817-7444 is the contact number for those seeking the status of family members you think may have been on board the train. Or call 311 in NYC or "212-New-York" (212-639-9675).