(The following story by Azam Ahmed and Richard Wronski appeared on the Chicago Tribune website on October 4. Rick Radek is a National Vice President of the BLET.)
CHICAGO — Metra officials said Wednesday that the rush-hour derailments of two trains at the same South Side station a day earlier were a “crazy coincidence” that resulted from wear and tear on the tracks.
Although the findings dispelled fears of tampering, the derailments on the Metra Electric Line raised questions about whether Metra’s inspection practices are sufficient.
Metra said that the Electric Line is inspected visually every five days but that a more thorough, high-tech inspection of the tracks hasn’t occurred since 2005.
The latest measuring equipment can detect misaligned rails more accurately than a visual inspection. Defects and cracks in the track metal can also be found with the high-tech inspection.
Tuesday’s derailments appear to have resulted from a slight separation between the tracks, caused over time by train traffic and cars that ride over the tracks at a road crossing, Metra officials said.
“It is a really crazy coincidence,” Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said. “It has to do with the track itself just wearing over time, and the gauge between the track was just a little too wide. There’s no evidence whatsoever of tampering.”
The most recent visual inspections found no problems with the tracks, Metra officials said, but even the slightest separation in the tracks can cause derailments.
“It’s not completely uncommon to have an occasional derailment where the wheel comes off the track, but what is extremely rare is to have two in one location on two different tracks,” Pardonnet said.
Rick Radek, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, said the union also thought that the track was out of alignment and that it should have been detected by use of the high-tech car.
“If the fault was with Metra, it would be that it wasn’t out there inspecting the gauge,” Radek said. “You can inspect track visually often, but you can’t always see that kind of thing, especially on curves.”
No one was injured, but the derailments at the South Shore station sparked concern because they came a week after Metra discovered that about 30 spikes had been purposely removed from Electric Line tracks at 100th Street and Dauphin Avenue.
The FBI, which is investigating the suspected sabotage, dispatched agents to the scene of the derailments Tuesday to investigate a possible connection. On Wednesday, FBI officials said they had found no link.
“It was determined [the derailment] was mechanical and not intentional, and therefore it is a Metra investigation,” FBI spokeswoman Cynthia Yates said.
Metra officials said they had concluded the investigation into the derailments after a team of engineers, track workers, mechanics and transportation workers found no evidence of tampering.”It’s been investigated, it’s been inspected, and now … everything is back to normal,” Pardonnet said. “We don’t expect any further action to be taken.”
Pardonnet acknowledged that Metra is checking comparable crossings as a safeguard.
Pardonnet said the first southbound train, carrying about 300 passengers from Chicago’s Millennium Station, was about to stop at the South Shore station when it derailed at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday.
At about 6:20 p.m., a second southbound train, loaded with about 200 passengers, left the tracks as it was being directed around the first derailment on northbound tracks.
Metra said the southbound track was inspected Tuesday and the northbound track was inspected Sunday.
Visual inspections are conducted using a specially outfitted vehicle that rides the rails.
The Federal Railroad Administration was monitoring the derailments but was not conducting an investigation into the accidents, spokesman Steve Kulm said Wednesday.
“We are taking a look at what occurred,” Kulm said.
The individual railroads have primary responsibility in inspecting and maintaining their own track and must maintain accurate data, Kulm said.
In general, railroad regulators would investigate only if a derailment involved a fatality or serious injury to passengers or train crew, or exceptional property damage, Kulm said.
Bob Gallamore, former director of Northwestern University’s Transportation Center, said that two derailments occurring in the same general location sounded mysterious but that the situation was plausible. The two tracks could wear out at the same time and at the same place because they carry the same number of trains each day, he said.
“This doesn’t look fishy,” Gallamore said.