Blue Line Crash Update: Investigation Continues, No One At Controls Of Train Before Crash

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 30, 2013 9:30PM

Trains on the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line are not stopping at Harlem as investigators begin to piece together the cause of this morning’s crash at the station. Shuttle bus service is running to the Harlem station from Oak Park Avenue and Forest Park.

The National Transportation Safety Bureau flew a team to Chicago from Washington, DC to help with the investigation and there have been rumblings on social media all day that the eastbound train that collided into the westbound train in the station was unmanned. The Tribune reports video from the out of service train and the Forest Park rail yard indicated no conductor was at the controls. CTA spokesman Brian Steele told the Tribune fail safe measures to keep the train from moving “didn't function the way that they should have in this particular case" and that there were no signs the train was tampered with in the yard. The investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Forest Park Mayor Anthony Calderone told the Sun-Times Forest Park Police have requested video from the rail yard as part of their investigation.