(The following article by Mark J. Konkol, Lisa Donovan and Abdon m. Palasch was posted on the Chicago Sun Times website on September 20.)
CHICAGO — The Metra Rock Island line involved in Saturday’s deadly crash doesn’t have a costly safety mechanism designed to automatically stop a train before it disobeys a switching signal.
Other Metra train lines have it — dubbed automatic train control — and at least one transportation expert says it’s the kind of system that could have prevented an accident like the fatal derailment on the South Side.
Robert Gallamore, director of Northwestern University’s transportation center, said the technology automatically activates braking systems. “The design principal is to prevent accidents that occurred because of the engineman failing to heed a signal,” he said.
An even more high-tech system called ”positive train control” uses satellite technology.
“Positive train control would prevent that type of accident,” Mark Rosenker, acting National Transportation Safety Board chair, said at a Monday night news conference at a Ramada Inn, 4900 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Three of 11 commuter train lines serving the north and west suburbs on Union Pacific Railroad tracks were equipped with the automatic train control system by the former owner of those tracks, Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, according to Metra assistant executive director Richard Tidwell.
Metra does not own all the tracks over which it runs trains and doesn’t have the estimated $200 million per rail line it would cost — about $1.8 billion — to install that technology, officials said Monday.
Saturday’s crash near 47th and Federal killed two women and injured dozens when the train derailed while traveling 69 mph as it switched tracks in a 10 mph zone. It hit a steel bridge wall.
Late Monday, 10 people were still hospitalized with non-life threatening conditions. A pregnant woman in her 20s was in critical condition at Northwestern Hospital. Her identity is not known.
Suit filed
A lawsuit filed Tuesday against Metra asks for documents related to implementing a “positive train control system” on the Rock Island line. It was filed by the law firm of Corboy and Demetrio on behalf of the family of 22-year old Jane Cuthbert, who died on the train.
Attorney Dan Kotin said he believes if federal investigators eventually find the crash was caused by human error, an automatic train control system could have prevented it.
Monday evening, the NTSB’s Rosenker said a cursory examination of the tracks, the switch and the rail cars determined that they were operating properly. Still, he would not attribute the crash to human error. “The last thing we want to do is indicate someone [is at fault], when there could be an anomaly,” Rosenker said.
Rosenker also said engineer Mike Smith was apparently carrying two cell phones.
Although Metra provides its engineers with phones, they are only to be used in emergencies and it is against Metra policy for a train engineer to use, or even carry, a personal cell phone while operating a train, executive director Phil Pagano said. Metra gave investigators records for the cell phone it provided Smith. Rosenker said the NTSB has asked for all cell phone records.
Rush wants probe
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) said Monday he wants Metra to thoroughly examine its infrastructure in Chicago and focus on securing federal dollars to build automated control systems. “The current situation is totally unacceptable . . . Metra has never been bashful requesting money, although it’s mostly for suburban areas. Metra needs to focus on the city and come to Congress to make upgrades in the city,” Rush said.
Metra board chairman Jeff Ladd said he was deeply “sorry for what happened” Saturday. “Never in the history of Metra have we lost passengers because of a derailment . . . We will do everything in our power to ensure this does not happen again,” he said.
To pay medical bills
Metra officials said the transit agency will pay the emergency medical bills for all crash victims for the first 72 hours following the crash, a move aimed at making sure no one puts off medical treatment because of the cost. After that period, Metra will pay medical bills on a “case-by-case basis,” Ladd said.
More information on medical assistance is available on the Internet at www.metrarail.com.
The first lawsuits were filed in the crash Monday morning. The law firm of Corboy and Demetrio, which represented two victims in a crash at that spot two years ago, filed suit Monday on behalf of Cuthbert’s family against Metra.
The Clifford Law Office filed suit on behalf of Bernadette Jochens; Power Rogers & Smith filed on behalf of Marcia Tatum.
Corboy’s firm also filed suit on behalf of Michelle Berlin, 15, of Mokena, who hit her head during the crash. Berlin had been riding downtown with her boyfriend to spend the day at Navy Pier.