If the Train Jumps the Track Do You Want Your Money Back?

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Jul 17, 2006 11:25AM

An NTSB Safety Board investigator said on Friday that the track where the Blue Line train derailed was too wide. The track exceeded the standard rail-to-rail width at more than one point by up to 1 1/8 inches. It's kind of freaky to think that just over an inch of extra space will cause a train car to derail.

Investigators say that even though this width issue was discovered, they still haven't reached their final conclusion on the cause of the accident. Now they're trying to figure out why the tracks were too wide. CTA track is supposed to be looked at twice every week, and the section of track where the derailment happened was checked just 4 days before the accident. The train operator wasn't drinking or on drugs; those tests came back negative. Also, the operator said he was only going about 20 mph.

In other news, even though about 150 people went to the hospital after the derailment accident, only 3 remain hospitalized. Also, 5 passengers involved in the accident have already filed lawsuits against the CTA.

CTA tracks via zesmerelda.