2023 Chicago train crash

On November 16, 2023, a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) passenger train collided with maintenance equipment north of Howard station, injuring 16 people.

Accident
At 10:39 a.m. local time (07:50 UTC) on November 16, 2023, a Yellow Line passenger train, carrying 30 passengers and 1 operator, approaching its terminal at Howard station at 26.9 mph collided with stopped snow-removal equipment, carrying 6 employees, on the southern track. The front car of the two-car train was partially crushed and derailed. Fifteen ambulances responded to the scene. Of the 37 people aboard both vehicles, 16 were injured, 3 of which were in critical condition.

Service on the Yellow Line was discontinued pending an investigation.

Train
Footage from investigators show that the train involved in the accident was one 5000-series pair, cars 5599 and 5600, and the maintenance vehicle was a Niigata Transys-built diesel snow removal vehicle numbered S-500.

Investigation
The following day, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) started an investigation into the crash. Initial news reports suspected the operator to be incapacitated or in error; however, a preliminary announcement from the NTSB indicated that the CTA had underestimated its trains' braking distance, compounded by the effects of slippery rails.

In a preliminary report released on December 12, 2023, the NTSB found that, at the time of the incident, the snow-removal equipment had stopped 370 ft north of a red signal. The passenger train operator received a stop command from the signal system when the train was traveling southbound at approximately 54 mph, about 2150 ft behind the snow-removal equipment. The operator engaged the brakes and emergency brakes, and the train decelerated to 26.9 mph before colliding with the stationary equipment.

Aftermath
Following the incident, service on the Yellow Line was fully closed and replaced with bus service, initially announced to be for a period of five days. Following the release of the NTSB's preliminary report, the CTA announced that it would reduce the speed limit on the Yellow Line from 55 mph to 35 mph, and to 25 mph in the area where the crash occurred. Yellow Line service resumed on January 5, 2024.