Train Accident Newsroom

Chicago Train Accidents Shared A Common Accident Location

In the October 12, 2003, accident, westbound Metra train 519 derailed about 4:38 p.m. while operating at 68 mph as it traversed a crossover from track 1 to track 2 in the vicinity of Control Point 48th (CP 48)3 Street in Chicago, Illinois. The entire train, operating with two locomotives in the lead and five passenger cars, derailed. The maximum authorized speed through the crossover was 10 mph. There were about 375 passengers and a crew of 3 on board. As a result of the accident, 47 injured passengers were transported to eight local hospitals. Of these, 44 were treated and released, and 3 were admitted for observation. Damages from the accident exceeded $5 million.

In the September 17, 2005, accident, eastbound Metra train 504 derailed about 8:35 a.m., central daylight time, while operating at a speed of about 69 mph as it traversed the crossover in the vicinity of CP 48. The entire train, operating in the push-mode,4 was comprised of five cars and one locomotive at the rear. The train derailed as it traversed the crossover routing the train from track 2 to track 1. The crossover had a prescribed operating speed of 10 mph. The fourth car from the head end of the train struck a steel girder of a bridge that carried the tracks over 47th Street. Metra reported that there were 185 passengers on the train; 129 were injured and required medical attention. Of those, 38 were seriously injured and required hospitalization and 2 were fatally injured.

The accidents shared a common location: the crossover at CP 48 on the Joliet Sub District. The basic difference between the two accidents was that train 519 was to cross over from track 1 to track 2 traveling in the westbound direction, whereas train 504 was to cross over from track 2 to track 1 traveling in the eastbound direction. Both trains were operating on tracks where train movement was governed by wayside signal indications. The wayside signals display
a signal aspect to indicate the route and any crossover or divergence from the track being traversed that by railroad operating rules require an engineer to take certain specific actions to control the train.