Rail Service Alerts-Discussion Thread

[Pace831]

Yellow line had bus substitution this weekend. Here they are replacing the switch at Dempster. These guys look like they were wondering why I was sticking my phone through the fence:

[artthouwill]

On 8/12/2017 at 11:50 AM, ThirdRailVision said:

As some of you may know, Brown Line trains (among other loop-based lines) are not running on the east side of the loop due to construction on Washington/Wabash this weekend. As a result, we have ample 2600's running on the brown line! 

Forgot to  mention  no Pink Line Loop service.   I suppose  they don't  like the Roosevelt  turn using 13th St middle  anymore

  Though not politically  correct , maybe late night and weekend  Pink  Line trains should all terminate at Racine  Blue Line.

 

.

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, Tcmetro said:

CTA latest advisory says 63/Ashland Red line won't run on Friday, so I guess it officially ended an hour ago or so. 

 

http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/alert_detail.aspx?AlertId=45016

What's surprising about this one is that they are generally cutting back L service on day after Thanksgiving, due to low ridership. It's about time they did so.

Also, effective next week, earlier Orange Line service.

[Juniorz]

The Red Line service to Ashland/63rd is still "technically" effective until the new rail picks are in effect on Sunday.

95th is now back into full operation as the necessary track work needed to move into the next phase of the project is now complete.

The decision to cut the service before thanksgiving makes sense, the customer demand for rush hour levels of service won't be needed due to the holiday, hence the Blue Line's UIC and Red Line's Ashland trips are targeted not to operate on Friday.

[artthouwill]

11 hours ago, Juniorz said:

The Red Line service to Ashland/63rd is still "technically" effective until the new rail picks are in effect on Sunday.

95th is now back into full operation as the necessary track work needed to move into the next phase of the project is now complete.

The decision to cut the service before thanksgiving makes sense, the customer demand for rush hour levels of service won't be needed due to the holiday, hence the Blue Line's UIC and Red Line's Ashland trips are targeted not to operate on Friday.

Will miss the Red Line Ashland trips.  Who knows when /if the 13th St incline will see revenue service again?

[Pace831]

Sun-Times: Attempted fare evasion results in death

[Pace831]

On 6/27/2019 at 6:52 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

If she got caught btwn the train and the platform, it's possible. Enough platform and train speed and the body can twist right in half. However, CCC hasn't released any details about her death yet

Tribune: CTA fired the operator of the train that hit the woman trying to retrieve the dropped phone. The in-cab video shows he was looking out the side window, pointing and laughing at something, for about 12 seconds immediately before the collision.

EDIT: ABC7 has the video.

[NewFlyerMCI]

39 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

Tribune: CTA fired the operator of the train that hit the woman trying to retrieve the dropped phone. The in-cab video shows he was looking out the side window, pointing and laughing at something, for about 12 seconds immediately before the collision.

EDIT: ABC7 has the video.

It's funny but not funny that his name is Felon. Do you know how her death was ruled or if it was changed in light of this video?

[Pace831]

15 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

It's funny but not funny that his name is Felon. Do you know how her death was ruled or if it was changed in light of this video?

Still ruled an accident. CTA says they cannot determine whether the operator would have been able to stop the train in time had he been paying attention.

[Shannon CVPI]

1 hour ago, Pace831 said:

Still ruled an accident. CTA says they cannot determine whether the operator would have been able to stop the train in time had he been paying attention.

He was just doing what they all do & even if he had of been looking he wouldn't be able to stop in time 1 train car weights 55k an 8 car train weights of 200k ain't no stopping on a dime 

[strictures]

1 minute ago, Shannon CVPI said:

He was just doing what they all do & even if he had of been looking he wouldn't be able to stop in time 1 train car weights 55k an 8 car train weights of 200k ain't no stopping on a dime 

Had he been looking to the front, he would've at least seen her & honked the train's ridiculous European style horn.   He was also was violating the rule that requires all motormen to stand when entering, going through & leaving stations, stand through all turns & switches & interlocking plants.  Of course, I see them ignoring that rule all the time, so apparently CTA doesn't bother to enforce it.

[NewFlyerMCI]

19 minutes ago, strictures said:

Had he been looking to the front, he would've at least seen her & honked the train's ridiculous European style horn.   He was also was violating the rule that requires all motormen to stand when entering, going through & leaving stations, stand through all turns & switches & interlocking plants.  Of course, I see them ignoring that rule all the time, so apparently CTA doesn't bother to enforce it.

That's a rule? I've never, ever seen this, wow

[Shannon CVPI]

1 hour ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

That's a rule? I've never, ever seen this, wow

Smfh they don't enforce it all the train driver do this 

[andrethebusman]

T/O got nailed for rules violation not for hitting person on track. This is quite legitimate. It is unfortunate that this resulted in a fatality, but that is a separate issue than a blatant safety rule violation 

[strictures]

4 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

That's a rule? I've never, ever seen this, wow

A neighbor had the CTA Motormen's rule book.   That's where I saw it.

[Mr.NewFlyer1051]

5 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

That's a rule? I've never, ever seen this, wow

Yep it’s a safety rule but also I wanna add.....every operator that got involved in a tragic incident like this why didn’t Cta fire them? How much you wanna bet operators didn’t stand for all those other incidents 

[chicagocubs6323]

9 minutes ago, Mr.NewFlyer1051 said:

Yep it’s a safety rule but also I wanna add.....every operator that got involved in a tragic incident like this why didn’t Cta fire them? How much you wanna bet operators didn’t stand for all those other incidents 

It's not whether he standed or was sitting.  He was distracted screwing around waving at someone on the expressway for 12 seconds.  That is why he got fired.  He COULD HAVE stopped the train if he were paying attention and prevented the loss of life. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

35 minutes ago, chicagocubs6323 said:

It's not whether he standed or was sitting.  He was distracted screwing around waving at someone on the expressway for 12 seconds.  That is why he got fired.  He COULD HAVE stopped the train if he were paying attention and prevented the loss of life. 

That lady was going to die the minute she got down on the tracks and there was incoming train within ~200ft of the platform. Even going 15-20mph, there are any numbers of ways she could've died immediately or later on and shouldn't have gone down there in the first place. As @Shannon CVPI said, that train was too heavy to stop on a dime. Could he have stopped the train? Yes. Would she be alive? Very probably not

[Shannon CVPI]

5 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

That lady was going to die the minute she got down on the tracks and there was incoming train within ~200ft of the platform. Even going 15-20mph, there are any numbers of ways she could've died immediately or later on and shouldn't have gone down there in the first place. As @Shannon CVPI said, that train was too heavy to stop on a dime. Could he have stopped the train? Yes. Would she be alive? Very probably not

Exactly yea he could have stopped it but she was still going to get smashed either way dam train just too heavy to stop on a time 

[artthouwill]

20 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

That lady was going to die the minute she got down on the tracks and there was incoming train within ~200ft of the platform. Even going 15-20mph, there are any numbers of ways she could've died immediately or later on and shouldn't have gone down there in the first place. As @Shannon CVPI said, that train was too heavy to stop on a dime. Could he have stopped the train? Yes. Would she be alive? Very probably not

Possibly but not necessarily.   I didn't see the video inside or out.  It depends on when she went on the tracks relative to where the train was and where she was in the station.  Trains on the Red Line usually enter the stations at about 30 mph, so if she went on the tracks 5 seconds before the train reached the station,  she was doomed.  If it was 15 seconds and the operator was following all the rules, she possibly had a better chance,  depending on wher she was in the station.  If she was goun to board cars 6 through 8, her chances of getting hit and dying were close to 100 percent.   If cars 1 through 3, I think her chances at absolute best 75/25 not in her favor.  But in this scenario,  the operator's negligence puts CTA at risk of a lawsuit  however slim of a chance for survival.  

While trains can't stop on a dime, especially at higher speeds, those brakes are very good and a low speed can  stop on a nickel.

[Pace831]

3 hours ago, Mr.NewFlyer1051 said:

Today is not CTA’s day ?? first brown line train slams into a purple line train and then a flyer slams into a divvy bike display? what’s next 

 

I’m surprised no one else has mentioned the reported train collision this morning.

[BusHunter]

24 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

I’m surprised no one else has mentioned the reported train collision this morning.

Because I didnt know about it. Been driving my life away. I've discovered the bus charters cool you can actually drive out of state if the charter goes there. Had a 40 bus charter last weekend and I'm hearing a 50 bus charter this weekend. When I got my medical card the license guy said your gonna drive out state? So what no medical card means you can drive local? Thought it was law. 

So what happened your link dont work. 

[Pace831]

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

So what happened your link dont work. 

Fixed the link.

[artthouwill]

12 hours ago, Pace831 said:

I’m surprised no one else has mentioned the reported train collision this morning.

Another Brown Line train rear ends a Purple Line train.  This one looks to have happened inbound after the S curve near North Avenue east of Halsted.   The other one I remember involved a curve around that church just south of Division.   What is baffling is me is every time I ride the trains, the cab signal never let's our train get close to the train ahead (outside of downtown).  The only 2 areas I have seen trains get close are the inner track at Clark and Lake where one train is in the station and a second train gets close because it had to clear Tower 18 junction.  The other place is at the end of a line where the first train ( a four car consist) is at the end of the platform and a second four car consist pulls into the station behind the first.  

Pure speculation but based on audio I heard, Control asked the Brown Line operator if he saw the other train  and he said he did.  Again pure speculation,  my theory is before he made the first curve before  crossing over North Ave, he saw the Purple Line train heading east.  I believe that an outbound train  came and passed the Purple Line and entered the curve, obstructing the view of the Brown Line  operator momentarily.   The obstruction was enough that the Brown Line operator didn't see that the Purple Line train was stopped.   According to him, his cab signal allowed him to proceed.  By the time he finished the final curve, there was the Purple Line train.   The sun shining in his face while in the last curve may have also contributed.  

Cab video will tell us a lot.  I haven't been on a Brown Line train for a while,  but I remember that curve being very noisy.  It's possible he mistook the high pitched beeping or missed it with the screaming noise of the shoe plates scraping the third rail.  In any case,  I bet CTA finds everything in working order on the Brown Line train and the operator gets disciplined. 

[Javi78]

Why have kimball bound brown lines trains been going super slow between Addison and Irving Park? It’s been a slow zone for the past month at all times even during rush hour. Like the trains are moving at 5 miles per hour and there’s no one working on the tracks, the trains are moving slow. Is there a broken rail or something, is the train going to derail if it goes fast through that area? It’s just like the red line between Irving park and montrose, that’s always been a slow zone, like the trains not going to go off the tracks if it goes fast. What’s causing these slow zones?