[nypost.com]

The New Jersey Transit train that plowed into the Hoboken Terminal in September — killing one woman and injuring scores of people — was found to have faulty brakes just months before the crash, a report said Monday.

Back in January, inspectors discovered that a “hand brake gear pin” on one of the train cars was “completely out,” according to PIX11.

At least 14 more defects were found aboard the train three months later — including brake damage.

Then in May, another hand brake pin was found to be coming loose.

In each instance, PIX11 reports that the pins were repaired.

An NJ Transit spokeswoman downplayed the brake defects Monday, chalking them up to “routine maintenance.”

“They are in no way an indication of what the actual conditions of the train were on the morning of September 29,” she said, noting the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

The state-owned public transportation system declined to release inspection reports from the month of the accident, claiming they were unable to do so due to the NTSB investigation.

In their preliminary probe, investigators determined that the train had been traveling at twice the speed limit at the time of the early-morning crash.

The train’s engineer, 48-year-old Thomas Gallagher, later said he had no recollection of what happened. Officials said he pulled the emergency brakes moments before the train barreled into the station.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.