NEW YORK (PIX11) — MTA CEO Janno Lieber said the cause of the LIRR derailment earlier this week is still under investigation, but it does not appear the incident was due to operator error.

“That seems very improbable but we have to let the professionals do their investigation,” Lieber said Sunday on PIX on Politics.

The MTA boss also addressed the fare hikes that go into effect on Aug. 20. Lieber said the increases could have been much higher if Gov. Kathy Hochul had not stepped in to help with the MTA budget.

Watch the full interview in the video player.