On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released preliminary findings from its investigation into the November crash involving a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Yellow Line train, which left 38 people injured. The report provides insight into the moments leading up to the crash, but does not reveal an exact cause.
According to the NTSB, the southbound Yellow Line train collided with snow removal equipment around 10:30 a.m. on November 16. The weather was clear and sunny, and there was no precipitation. The track the train was operating on was a “double main track” and the location of the accident had a signal system that operated with a stopping distance of 1,780 feet or less. The maximum allowed train speed was 55 mph at the time.
The report states that the passenger train was on a scheduled trip from Dempster Skokie Station to Howard Station. The operator was aware that the snow removal machine was operating on the Yellow Line as part of a training exercise but did not know its exact location. Shortly before the collision, the southbound snow removal machine stopped about 370 feet north of a red signal indication. The passenger train was traveling southbound at 54 mph when the operator received a stop command from the signal system due to the snow removal machine stopped on the track about 2,150 feet ahead. The operator immediately initiated a full service braking application to stop the train. The operator 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 the brake system on the train was designed to slow trains at about 4.1 feet per second squared under such conditions. Investigators also took samples of “organic material from the top surface of the rails at the accident site” to determine what impact, if any, this material had on the accident.
The organic material has been in question since the investigation began, along with a “design problem” with the train’s braking system. Preliminary data obtained from the event recorder showed that the train was traveling at 26.9 miles per hour when it struck the snow equipment. The NTSB chair said last month that CTA’s system saw the snow equipment ahead and that the train was designed to stop within 1,780 feet, but it didn’t.
The NTSB said future investigation activity 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 organic material present on top of the running rails investigators collected.”
Federal investigators said the CTA compiled data that showed since November 1, a similar scenario, in which something was stopped in the next section of track and a train was approaching, occurred 50 times.
The CTA said Yellow Line service remains suspended. “In keeping with NTSB protocol, all inquiries about the incident are being directed to that agency. As such, the CTA is currently unable to discuss the specifics of the ongoing investigation,” the agency said in a statement.
The NTSB is continuing its investigation into the crash and is working to determine the cause of the accident. The agency is also working to ensure that similar accidents do not occur in the future. The NTSB is committed to providing the public with the most accurate and up-to-date information about the crash and its investigation.
The NTSB is hopeful that its investigation will help to improve the safety of the CTA’s Yellow Line and other public transportation systems. The agency is also committed to providing the public with the most accurate and up-to-date information about the crash and its investigation.
The NTSB will continue to work diligently to ensure that the public is provided with the most accurate and up-to-date information about the crash and its investigation. The agency is hopeful that its investigation will help to improve the safety of the CTA’s Yellow Line and other public transportation systems.
