CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – On Saturday, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board held a press conference revealing more details about a possible cause of Thursday's CTA Yellow Line train crash.
Jennifer Homendy with the NTSB shared the preliminary results from their investigation. Stating that the crash was likely caused by a flaw in the braking system design, which was set to 1,780 feet. That is much lower than what is called for in updated systems.
“A brand new system today, with the same track, they should have had 2,745 feet to stop that train,” Homendy said.
Had the outdated braking design called for the increased stopping distance, Homendy says the train would not have struck the snow fighter equipment with 6 workers on board, with a total of 38 people injured in the crash.
“And why is it different today? Overtime cars get heavier, there are more passengers, that’s essentially an old design,” Homendy said.
Homendy adds that from their preliminary observations, including video footage, it does not appear that the train operator did anything wrong.
She also tells CTA riders, there should be no continuing concern for their safety.
“You are much safer taking the train than driving - I would take the train tonight, tomorrow. I have no concerns, safety concerns, about taking the train.”