Gabriel Castillo and Eli Ong
3 hours ago
CHICAGO – National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials say a preliminary investigation shows a design flaw likely caused the CTA train crash that injured 38 people Thursday morning. He said it had become.
At a press conference Saturday afternoon, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy provided new details about a preliminary investigation into an accident involving a snow plow, a rail-mounted snow removal device that was located on the tracks at the Howard Railroad Yard. revealed. in the 7500 block of North Paulina Street.
NTSB officials said a preliminary investigation revealed cameras inside and outside the train’s cab, inward-facing cameras in two cars, and data on how the train’s controls were operated. He said he investigated the train’s event recorder, which is a device that records events.
After reviewing the data, the NTSB said a design flaw in CTA’s braking algorithm prevented it from properly calculating the actual distance the train needed to stop.
As for the snow blowers, they say they are on the tracks because they plan to train employees on how to use them over the next few days.
Officials also discovered a foreign object on the tracks. NTSB officials said data from accident recording equipment shows a wheel slipped while the train was braking, but it is unclear whether debris on the track played a role in the accident.
Homendy said train accident recorder data showed the accident occurred at 10:31 a.m. and the train was traveling at 46.9 mph when it hit the snow equipment. The train involved in the accident was designed to stop within 1,780 feet, but the NTSB said the train needed more space.
A brand new system using the same track would require 2,745 feet to stop a train, but the NTSB says the 1,780 feet needed to stop is based on an older design and the recommended distance depends on several factors. It’s changing over time.
According to the NTSB, there were a total of six people on board the snow fighter jet at the time of the crash. Officials said there were two people in the back of the train facing the collision and four in the front.
Since the accident, two lawsuits have been filed by men who were on the train.
CTA Yellow Line service was temporarily suspended Friday, and disruptions are likely to continue as authorities investigate.
