2023 Chicago train crash
On November 16, 2023, a Chicago Transit Authority passenger train collided with maintenance equipment north of Howard station, injuring 16 people.
Accident
At 10:39 a.m. local time on November 16, 2023, a Yellow Line passenger train, carrying 30 passengers and 1 operator, approaching its terminal at Howard station at collided with stopped snow-removal equipment, carrying 6 employees, on the southern track. The front car of the two-car train was partially crushed and derailed. Fifteen ambulances responded to the scene. Of the 37 people aboard both vehicles, 16 were injured, 3 of which were in critical condition.Service on the Yellow Line was discontinued pending an investigation.
Train
Footage from investigators show that the train involved in the accident was one 5000-series pair, cars 5599 and 5600, and the maintenance vehicle was a Niigata Transys-built diesel snow removal vehicle numbered S-500.Investigation
The following day, the National Transportation Safety Board started an investigation into the crash. Initial news reports suspected the operator to be incapacitated or in error; however, a preliminary announcement from the NTSB indicated that the CTA had underestimated its trains' braking distance, compounded by the effects of slippery rails.In a preliminary report released on December 12, 2023, the NTSB found that, at the time of the incident, the snow-removal equipment had stopped north of a red signal. The passenger train operator received a stop command from the signal system when the train was traveling southbound at approximately, about behind the snow-removal equipment. The operator engaged the brakes and emergency brakes, and the train decelerated to before colliding with the stationary equipment.