Scores injured in US train crash

About 60 people have been injured, five critically, after a head-on, rush-hour collision between two commuter trains near New York City, officials say.

A commuter train travelling eastbound from New York City derailed near the Connecticut suburb of Fairfield during the evening rush hour on Friday and collided with a westbound commuter train, injuring up to 60 people, three critically, officials said.

The collision of the two Metro North trains forced Amtrak to shut down service indefinitely between New York and Boston, the national railroad said.

Three people were critically injured and 60 people were transported to area hospitals, police said.

"It's pretty devastating damage to a number of cars," Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy told a news conference.

"These cars came into contact (and the impact) ripped open the siding of one of the cars. There is extensive damage in the front and the wheels."