NTL Record

Title Accident Report of Chicago Metra Commuter Train Derailment on September 17, 2005
Record ID 56732
Personal Name
Creator
Severson, Kristine; Parent, Dan
Source 29 p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Publisher United States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Railroad Policy and Development
Publication Date 20151000
Language English
Abstract On Saturday, September 17, 2005, Metra commuter train 504 was heading north from Joliet to Chicago on the Rock Island District Line operated by the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, which is the commuter rail system that serves northeast Illinois. The train traversed a 10-mph switch at 69 mph, causing it to derail just south of the West 47th Street Bridge. This accident was investigated by the US Department of Transportation’s Rail Accident Forensic Team to support the Passenger Equipment Safety Research Program of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The Forensic Team’s primary objective in investigating rail vehicle accidents is to estimate the complete underlying sequence of events and determine the specific causal mechanisms of injuries and fatalities. This report includes a detailed reconstruction of events, which is based on data collected at the scene and passenger interviews. The principal causal mechanism for the fatalities and serious injuries that occurred in the accident was the impact between the 4th car and the bridge girder, resulting in significant vertical forces on the rail car and structural damage to the car interior.
Rosap ID dot:29612
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/29612
TRT Terms Railroad crashes; Derailments; Railroad commuter service; Crash reports; Crash investigation; Crash reconstruction; Fatalities; Injuries
Classification NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - Rail Safety;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Accidents;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Rail Safety
Geographical
Coverage
Illinois
TRIS Online
Accession No
1580918
Contract Number RR28A3/MLH94
Report Number DOT/FRA/ORD-15/36
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/56000/56700/56732/Accident_Report_Chicago_Metra_Derailment_09-17-2005_final.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository