Nov. 22--The CTA will participate in the launch of a federal program that will develop standards for upgrading rail safety in Chicago and at transit agencies across the U.S., officials said Friday.
The safety management system is being created by the Federal Transit Administration, which until recently was responsible mostly for evaluating grant applications from transit agencies and handing out funding.
While commuter rail systems including Metra are regulated on safety issues by the Federal Railroad Administration, the CTA and other transit agencies like it have not answered to a federal safety oversight agency.
The Regional Transportation Authority has attempted to provide safety oversight to the CTA, but CTA officials have generally resisted the effort, pointing out that the RTA does not operate any transit services and it has little, if any, expertise on rail or bus safety. The RTA oversees the budgets of the CTA, Metra and Pace.
The Federal Transit Administration selected the CTA, which provides 1.7 million rides on an average weekday and is the second-largest transit system in the nation, to participate in the new safety program after CTA officials asked to be considered in September, officials said.
The move comes after a series of rail accidents in recent years. They include a Blue Line train that overran a stopping area at the O'Hare International Airport terminal in March and plowed into an escalator after the operator dozed off; an empty train that was able to roll out of a West Side rail yard in September 2013 and almost a mile later collided with a Blue Line train stopped at the Harlem station; and numerous derailments and several fires involving trains in subway tunnels.
While passengers have been hurt in many of the accidents, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said it has been at least 10 years since a passenger fatality as the result of operator error.
The CTA said it has taken steps this year to enhance safety. The actions range from adding 25 positions in the safety department to using data in new ways to analyze potential safety problems and make changes proactively.
The CTA also has accelerated employee discipline for safety violations, which include instances of train operators stopping at the wrong location on platforms and opening doors over open rails, officials said.
jhilkevitch@tribpub.com
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