Chicago rail accident

From the National Transportation Safety Board accident report. In the background the hospital

Highliner double-decker train as it was involved in the accident. The warning mark was only applied after this accident

The Chicago rail accident was a rear-end collision between two passenger trains at 27th Street Station in Chicago , Illinois , USA , on October 30, 1972. 45 people died.

Starting position

The 27th Street station was scheduled as a demand stop . A maximum speed of 30 mph (approx. 50 km / h) applied to passing trains in the area of ​​the station .

Two trains were on the route one after the other in rush hour traffic : First, a modern double-decker train ("Highliner"), No. 416, stopped because it was used by many employees of a nearby hospital to go to work, despite the 27th station , which was only classified as a necessity stop Street , always here. It was followed by a second train of older passenger cars , No. 720.

the accident

On the day of the accident, the driver of the No. 416 train failed to brake in time for the stop on 27th Street . He only came to a stop 118 meters behind the exit signal and 180 meters behind the platform . Because of the many passengers who wanted to get off on 27th Street , the staff decided to take the train back to the platform. They did not secure the train to the rear.

Because the first train had already passed the exit signal, train no. 720 received the message "Drive free" at the entrance signal of the station. This second train drove into the station too fast, at around 80 km / h. Nonetheless, the visibility would have enabled the engine driver to stop his train before a collision. Obviously his gaze was not fixed on the route ahead. There was a collision. The last car of the double-decker train was pushed together completely by the first car of the approaching train.

consequences

45 people died and 330 were injured.

See also

• List of rail accidents in the United States

literature

• Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on the rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 .
• National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report: Collision of Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Commuter Trains, Chicago, Illinois Oct. 30, 1972 = Report # NSTB RAR-73-5.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Semmens, p. 179.
2. ↑ Semmens, p. 179.
3. ^ National Transportation Safety Board.
4. ↑ Semmens, p. 179.
5. ^ National Transportation Safety Board.
6. ↑ Semmens, p. 179.

Coordinates: 41 ° 50 ′ 41.6 "  N , 87 ° 36 ′ 49.3"  W.