On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released preliminary findings into the harrowing crash that occurred on November 16th, involving a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Yellow Line train and snow removal equipment. The crash left 38 people injured and the investigation is still ongoing.
The NTSB report revealed some of the first insights into the crash, which occurred at 10:30 a.m. on a sunny, clear day with no precipitation. The southbound Yellow Line passenger train was on a scheduled trip from Dempster Skokie Station to Howard Station and was traveling at a maximum speed of 55 mph when the operator received a stop command from the signal system due to the snow removal machine, which was stopped on the track about 2,150 feet ahead. The operator immediately initiated a full service braking application to stop the train, and then saw the snow removal machine and initiated an emergency braking application. The train decelerated to about 27 mph before striking the snow removal machine.
The NTSB noted that brake system on the train was designed to slow trains at about 4.1 feet per second squared, and that investigators had taken samples of organic material from the top surface of the rails at the accident site. The future investigation will focus on the design and configuration of the CTA signal system, the design and braking performance of the railcars involved in the accident, and examination of the organic material present on top of the running rails.
Initial data obtained from the event recorder showed that the train was traveling at 26.9 miles per hour when it struck the snow equipment. It is believed that the train was unable to stop in time due to the agency’s braking system and a design problem. CTA data showed that since November 1st, a similar scenario, in which something was stopped in the next section of track and a train was approaching, occurred 50 times.
The NTSB chair, Jennifer Homendy, stated that a brand new system today with the same track, should have had 2,745 feet to stop that train, rather than the 1,780 feet it had. This is a design problem. Thick and black residue was present on the tracks at the time, and the train’s wheels were slipping when the operator was braking.
The CTA announced that Yellow Line service remains suspended while the investigation continues. All inquiries about the incident are being directed to the NTSB.
The NTSB is working hard to get to the bottom of this crash and determine exactly what led to it. In the meantime, the CTA is reminding passengers to always be alert and pay attention to their surroundings when traveling on public transportation.
