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Cut power to prevent out-of-service 'ghost trains,' NTSB says

The agency, which released its initial findings on the Chicago Transit Authority crash, also recommended leaving brakes in a position to ensure that the trains can't move on their own.

October 7, 2013
1 min to read


CHICAGO — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says an unmanned "ghost train" involved in a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line crash, which injured more than 30 riders, blew through five emergency mechanisms designed to stop it, reported NBC5 Chicago.

At each one, the train temporarily stopped, then started up again, because "the master lever on the operator console had been left in a setting that allowed the brakes to recover and reset from the emergency brake application."

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The NTSB recommended that the power out-of-service trains should be cut, with brakes left in a position to ensure that the trains can't move on their own. For the full story, click here.

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