Even if an RTC tells the crew to proceed from a station, the crew must stop for a red (we don't really know if it was red or not, pending investigation).
Intermediate block signals are automatic and will remain red if the upcoming block is occupied. The RTC has no direct control over it.
The commuter train has next to no tonnage - could have stopped on a dime.
I feel real bad for the crew. They had a bad day. People make mistakes or miss things.
But they can't just blame the engineer.
Just as in the Navy, the captain is relieved of duty if the ship runs aground. Perhaps it was a sub-ordinate’s mistake, but it's his job to double check everything.
So I’ll ask the question I don’t want to ask. Based upon historical precedent, are we looking at Bob (the conductor) spending the rest of his life in prison for 30 or so counts of manslaughter?