Metra Train Derails In Chicago; Injuries Reported
Some Passengers Taken Away In Stretchers
POSTED: 9:14 am CDT September 17, 2005
UPDATED: 10:14 am CDT September 17, 2005
CHICAGO – Emergency crews were on the scene of a Metra train derailment Saturday morning on the South Side.
The first two cars of train No. 504 could be seen sitting about a 100 feet away from the rest of the train.
They were tilted off the track.
At least 20 ambulances, 12 fire trucks, and about 10 police squad cars were on the scene at about 9:15 a.m.
Early reports said at least six people were taken on stretchers to ambulances waiting on the tracks. Some passengers were being treated on the scene. No information was immediately available on which hospital the injured were being taken to.
Passengers could be seen sitting on the side of the train next to the tracks.
Cement appeared to have crumbled off the bridge at 47th and Federal Streets, where the train was stopped.
47th Street was blocked in both directions in the immediate area Pat Camden, police news affairs deputy director, was scheduled to address the media within the next hour, according to a police lieutenant on the scene.
It broke in two? Alot of the times things on the tracks can make the coupler break, and the airhose comes off, so if you go into emergency and something is behind you, you better hold on [:0]
A Fox report showed live helicopter video from the scene, and the anchors doing the show said that it “hit a bridge”, yet the video shows the derailment sitting near an overpass. Maybe the trailing cars partially derailed and snagged the bridge railing?
Not the first time in recent years that a Metra train derailed on the near South Side on the old Rock Island line…remember there was a very bad wreck about four years back in the same area caused by excessive speed through a crossover switch.
Has anyone looked at the Metra website to see if there is any updated information? Chicago Tribune website does have a story about the train derailment. There are pictures of the derailment site. According to the Chicago Tribune story there were 125 people on the train. If it was a weekday, there could have been 1000 persons riding the train.
I read on the channel 12 website here in milwaukee they have reported that there is one person that has dead the courner in Mc henry county has confrimed it
I heard on Channel 7 news there were 189 people on the train. The train originated in Joliet and most of the passengers were probably from Joliet or the far southern suburbs and going into town to shop and sight-see. Also that it could take eight months for the various bureaucracies to sift through the material and produce a full accident report.
I heard about this accident on the news here in Philadelphia. I thought that was pretty darn interesting since I’m all the way here in Philly and this derailment happened all the way over in Chicago. I really do wander what was the cause of the derailment. I bet it was most likely human error.
You can look at pictures of the derailment at the Chicago Tribune website. The first picture shows the rail. To me it looked warped, but it could be distortion of the picture itself.
Metra Rock Island District train #504 east to Chicago.
Derailed at the 47th St Interlocker while switching tracks at @8:35am 9/17/05.
185 passengers + 4 Metra crew.
2 persons confirmed dead & over 80 others transported to area hospitals.
NTSB/Metra report that the crossover was restricted to 10 mph. NTSB believes (read: not confirmed by fact) that the train was going faster than 10mph.
This is the second wreck at the 47th St Interlocker on the Rock Island in the last two years.
Engineer of 504 had been with Metra less than a year & had only been working on the Rock Island District solo for 45 days. Engineer previously with CSX for five years as an engineer. Metra spokesperson reported that the engineer was so distraught that they had to be placed on suicide watch.
There was a Metra film crew (that’s what WBBM-AM radio news called it) working nearby. The accident was not caught on film. The film crew started fiiming immediately after the accident capturing the evacuation/rescue in progress.
The train was in push mode and the engine on the rear was the new, and very heavy, MP36.
NTSB preliminary report indicates that all signals and switches were working properly.
My personal notes & questions:
New Metra engineer + very restricted speed x-over + heavy engine + NTSB belief that the train was running over x-over speed = missjudged braking distance??
I really hope that the NTSB/Metra take a good look at the 47th St Interlocker since this is the second accident in two years. The normal track speed is 70mph and the x-over 10mph. How long is the approach to the x-over?
The City of Chicago emergency personel did an awsome job! They had a plan and it seemed like everbody knew what there job was. No confusion.
A CBS-2 report this morning said the train was going 70 mph and the engineer claims he had a high green, but their version of the story has a number of in-accuracies. CLTV, the local 24 hour news channel had rather extensive coverage and aerial footage. The train was in push mode and derailed going through a crossover just past the bridge according to an NTSB spokesman. The bridge and the track on it were not damaged according to a Metra spokesman. The overhead shots show that all 5 cars and the engine ended up on the ground, but none of the cars tipped over or telescoped. The 3rd car jackknifed and sustained the most damage and the first 2 cars seperated at that point. The engine ended up just past the bridge at the crossover, so the whole thing stopped in the length of the train or about 1/8 mile. There are 3 event recorders on the train and the NTSB will be examing the data from them this morning.
NTSB has confirmed that the event recorders indicated that the train speed at the time of derailment was 69 mph. The NTSB also reported they have interviewed the engineer and that the engineer believed that they had the high-green (straight through-70mph). Again, this accident is very similar to the accident that happened two years ago. Maybe it’s a coicidence.
Does anyone here know why a crossover would be speed restricted to 10 mph when the track speed is 70 mph? Just wondering if it could be just an old track configuration. Just wondering.
I’m not that familiar with the 47 St Interlocker, but I think the x-overs are restricted to 10mph due to how tight (radius of ) the x-over. I’m trying to find more information on this interlocking plant, the approach distance & approach speed.