Probable cause of CTA Yellow Line crash revealed by NTSB
The Brief
The NTSB's investigation into the 2023 CTA Yellow Line crash, which injured 19 people, identified braking system failures, speed reduction issues, and slippery track conditions as key factors.
The CTA had disabled an automatic track brake feature, which contributed to the train's inability to stop in time.
Additionally, toxicology reports showed the train operator had alcohol in his system, exceeding federal limits for safety-sensitive transit workers.
CHICAGO - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released findings from its investigation into the CTA Yellow Line crash that left 19 wounded in 2023.
The backstory
On the morning of Nov. 16, 2023, a Yellow Line train collided with snow removal equipment near the Howard station in Rogers Park.
The train was carrying 31 people at the time of the crash, 16 of whom were hospitalized, including the operator. The CTA estimated damages to be roughly $8.7 million.
The NTSB said three factors contributed to the crash:
An aggressive speed reduction command that resulted in wheel slide and degraded the train's braking performance,
CTA's decision to disable the automatic track brake application feature of the train's wheel slide protection system, delaying application of the track brake and further reducing the train's braking performance, and
The presence of organic material on the rails that caused slippery conditions that worsened the wheel slide and further degraded the train's braking performance.
The video below is from a previous report on the crash.
Dig deeper
Last October, the NTSB reported the train operator had alcohol in his system at the time of the crash.
The NTSB noted that "the hospital ethanol test is an unconfirmed clinical test, and the results report contained a disclaimer that the results are not intended for legal purposes."
The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted toxicological tests on the operator's blood, detecting ethanol levels of 0.043 g/dL in a specimen collected at 11:20 a.m. and 0.048 g/dL in a second specimen collected at 11:36 a.m.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations prohibit employees in safety-sensitive positions from working with a blood alcohol level of 0.04 g/dL or higher. Employees with levels between 0.02 and 0.04 g/dL must be removed from duty for at least eight hours or until their alcohol level drops below 0.02 g/dL.
The train operator passed medical exams in both 2021 and 2023, receiving two-year commercial motor vehicle (CMV) certifications each time. He was part of the CTA's random drug and alcohol testing program but had not been selected for testing before the crash.
The Source
The information in this story came from NTSB and our previous reporting.
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