NTSB says reduced braking performance, leaves on tracks were to blame for 2023 CTA Yellow Line crash
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on the crash on the Chicago Transit Authority's Yellow Line that sent 16 people to the hospital in 2023.
The two-car train crashed into a snow plow around 10:30 a.m. Nov. 17, 2023, on the main tracks adjacent to the Howard rail yard in Rogers Park.
The NTSB said one operator and 30 passengers were on the Yellow Line train at the time of the crash, Officials at the time of the crash said everyone on the train — originally reported as 38 people — was hurt.
The NTSB said a total of 16 people were treated and released from area hospitals, and three people were in critical condition after the crash — including the train operator.
Six other people were on board the snow plow.
The NTSB identified three factors it said were to blame for the crash.
First, the operator was only given short notice to brake. The NTSB said an "aggressive speed reduction command" caused the train's wheels to slide and compromised its braking performance.
Second, the CTA disabled the automatic track brake operation feature on the train, which delayed application of the track brake and further undermined its braking performance, the NTSB said.
Finally, leaves on the tracks caused slippery rail conditions, the NTSB said.
The report also found that while the operator did have alcohol in his system, but this was not to blame for the crash.
The NTSB previously said hospital testing of the 47-year-old train operator detected a blood alcohol level of .06. The legal limit for train operators is .02.
The crash caused $8.7 million in damage.
The CTA Yellow Line-Skokie Swift did not resume operations until January 2024 — seven weeks after the crash.
