http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-ohare-train-crash-20140324,0,1750012.story
All the articles are saying that “excessive speed may be involved”. That train climbed about 10 vertical feet up a staircase!
It’s interesting that it was the conductor’s, and not the engineer’s decision to take the escalator.
CTA Rapid Transit trains are one-man operation with only a motorman and no conductor.
Thanks, Paul. Please tell the people in Chicago who commented that it was the conductor’s fault.
The stairs would have been a healthier choice.
Maybe the train was late for a plane. Rgds IGN
On the serious side how is CTA going to get this back on the tracks? Rgds IGN
How did this happen with all the technology CTA has ? Can we expect the same “glitches” with PTS?
OK, so first I am flashing back to “Silver Streak” and its climax.
Then I am thinking how lucky it was that was around three in the morning, when the trains are probably not arriving at eight-minute intervals and the up escalator was probably not occupied.
I suspect the bus-to-Rosemont detour will run for a couple of weeks while they get the trainset out and the escalator fixed. In the meantime, a few scary mental images will be running around my skull.
I recently observed while arriving at the Midway terminal that there is a sign indicating to “begin operation on sight” just before reaching the terminal platforms. Presumably, this means that the train stop equipment does not operate beyond this point, although lower speeds have been enforced prior to reaching this point. There may be a similar arrangement at the O’Hare terminal.
FWIW A picture of the accident location without the train. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/CTA_blue_line_O'Hare.jpg/1024px-CTA_blue_line_O'Hare.jpg A question and comment. Is this track straight in from the inbound track? If this not a mechanical failure of the control equipment might fatigue have been the cause. Rgds IGN
Update: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-ohare-train-crash-20140324,0,1750012.story
Union chief: Operator of CTA train that crashed ‘might have dozed off’
For a simple reason: “Unlike other American rail lines, the CTA does not have an automated system in place to stop trains as they approach a station or other points along the track.”
The obvious solution to a train operator is to implement two man crews. Its safer on a freight train why not a passenger train?
R
This is a rapid transit system…where is the automatic stop system? automatic speed control?
CTA has had such a system in place for a long time. However, even the best system has limitations when it comes to operations in a terminal such as O’Hare or Midway, where on-sight operation will be required at some point.
As anybody who has worked overnight shifts knows, it can be difficult to stay completely alert on the night shift even when you came on duty properly rested. You’re always somewhat out of sync and a job with a fair amount of repetition doesn’t help, either.
Since I know virtually nothing about the actual facts of this accident, and since ignorance is bliss, let me make a thoroughly uneducated guess as to the cause of this accident:
The train was not operating at “excessive speed”. The speed was probably quite low (15 mph or less). What happened was that the train powered itself through the bumping post and up the escalator.
My reasons for this guess are as follows:
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I don’t believe that CTA uses manual brake trips at O’ Hare (although it’s been a long time since I’ve been there, so I could be wrong). Rather, I believe the signal system reduces train speed to 15 mph, and then depends on the operator to run "on sight ". In other words, subject to all the excuses and caveats previously stated, if the train was running under 15 mph, it could keep going without any “penalty” stop.
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The contollers on this particular series of cars work by pushing the controller away from the operator toward the front of the car for acceleration, and pulling it back toward the operator for braking.
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The train length reported in the press is 8 cars (I’ll leave to others the question of why CTA would be running 8 car trains at 3 AM).
So, here’s my scenario. The train approaches the bumping post at a speed under 15 mph (so the signal system doesn’t stop the train). Because the operator has dozed off - possibly just moments before the impact - the train continues to move (it’s entirely possible the operator dozed off with her hand on the controller in a way that the “dead man” wouldn’t kick in). The train hits the bumping post. This throws the operator’s body forward, pushing the controller to an acceleration position. Since the train never gets to 15 mph, the signal system doesn’t stop the train. The front cars get severe damage. But the rear cars continue to power forw
NTSB preliminary verdict - sleeping
http://news.yahoo.com/ntsb-train-operator-asleep-chicago-crash-153008299.html