Green Line train derails in Bronzeville
June 6, 2019
Around 11 a.m. this morning, a Green Line “L” train derailed near the 47th Street stop, authorities said. Firefighters helped evacuate approximately 30 people off the four-car train using a hydraulic lift—with seven people transported to area hospitals, reporting minor injuries.
At around 1 p.m., the Chicago Transit Authority’s Chief Transit Officer Donald Bonds announced that shuttle services would be available between Roosevelt and the Ashland/63rd-Cottage Grove stops while Green Line service is restored, which Bonds estimated would take five to six hours.
According to Bonds, the CTA will be launching an investigation into the cause of the accident. There was track work occurring around the site of the derailment, he said, but authorities will not know if it was related until after their investigation.
Updated 6/6/2019 6:30 p.m.
Green Line service has resumed, with trains running in both directions between Harlem and Ashland/63rd-Cottage Grove, according to the CTA’s Twitter account. There have been no updates regarding the cause of the derailment.
Updated 06/26/2019 2:42 p.m.
The Chicago Transit Authority determined the June 6 derailment was caused by human error, attributed to three employees, including two CTA signal maintainers and a CTA rail operator, CTA’s Media Relations Department said in a June 26 statement to The Chronicle.
The two signal maintainers moved a switch so that the tracks were not aligned for the southbound Green Line train near the 47th Street stop, causing it to derail. The maintainers were suspended for 10 days without pay, placed on probation for six months and given written warnings. The operator’s role is still being reviewed by CTA, however the employee has not worked since the incident.
“Safety is CTA’s number one priority, and we remain focused on ways to further improve our already strong safety record,” the statement read.
