CTA says maximum speeds of Yellow Line trains will be lowered after accident -- what does that mean for commuters?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Transit Authority announced this week that safety changes are coming to the Yellow Line after a serious crash last month injured more than three dozen people.
We wanted to know if the changes are enough – so CBS 2's Noel Brennan went to a transportation expert for answers.
The CTA has not said when the Yellow Line will reopen. But we do know when those trains are back up and running, their top speed will come down.
The CTA is dropping the maximum speed of Yellow Line trains from 55 mph to 35 mph. It is one of the safety measures the CTA announced Tuesday after the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the crash last month.
On Nov. 16, all 38 people on a two-car Yellow Line, or Skokie Swift, train were hurt when the train braked – but failed to stop before crashing into a snow removal locomotive on the tracks.
"Boy, that train hit the snow plow at some pretty good speed," said transportation expert Joe Schwieterman. "It was a real gaping hole in the safety system."
We asked Schwieterman, a DePaul University professor, for his thoughts on the safety changes coming to the Yellow Line.
"It certainly seems, you know, somewhat dramatic to lower 55 all the way to 35 on a long stretch where there's no stops," Schwieterman said. "Now, safety comes first - and it could just be an interim solution - but that's going to add a few minutes to every trip."
The CTA is also slowing trains to 25 mph in the area where the crash took place – where trains exit a below-grade trench that runs through southern Evanston, and follow a sharp curve as they proceed onto a stretch of open track in the Howard rail yard.
The NTSB said the train that crashed last month was going 27 mph at the time of impact.
"It is surprising that trains were coming in the Howard Yard, a very congested area, at a higher speed - higher than 25," Schwieterman said, "because we have a reasonably sharp curve there with lots of track interchanges ahead."
The CTA would not comment Wednesday on whether the speed limit changes will be permanent. A spokesperson for the CTA told CBS 2 the impact on travel times will be nominal.
"The devil's in the details," said Schwieterman. "If the CTA does plan to bring this back to a higher speed service, or whether this is a permanent downgrade, that's yet to be seen."
The CTA said it is taking a very conservative approach - and implementing safety measures out of an abundance of caution. There are no plans to change speed limits on any other lines.
