CTA Yellow Line reopens to pleased commuters 2 months after crash that injured dozens: ‘The trains are running!’

In the still, dark moments before dawn Friday, a familiar voice echoed on the CTA Howard platform: “This is a Yellow Line train to Dempster-Skokie.”

It was the first time commuters heard the announcement since a Yellow Line CTA train rear-ended a snowplow Nov. 16, injuring dozens, halting service for weeks and creating hurdles for frustrated and nervous travelers.

“CTA has extensively examined all aspects of Yellow Line operations, from tracks and signals to train operations and communications,” a news release from the CTA reads. “Several test trains have run along the line, over multiple days in various weather conditions.”

The crash injured 38 people, sending 19 to local hospitals.

On the Dempster platform just before 7 a.m. Friday, Ardeth Gardiner pushed through the turnstile to a jubilant greeting from friend and co-worker Shanesha McCray.

“The trains are running!” McCray yelled, laughing.

The two Housing Authority of Cook County employees have taken the Yellow Line on their way downtown for years, and the service suspension was a rude interruption. Both said their commutes were 30-35 minutes longer each way without the Yellow Line, so they’d often get home 12 hours after leaving in the morning.

“When you get done with work, you just want to come home,” McCray said. “The struggle is real.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Friday morning, the women joined other bundled-up commuters on the Yellow Line, which runs from north suburban Skokie to the Howard station in Rogers Park. There, travelers can connect to the CTA’s Red and Purple lines.

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash, and a full report is expected later this year. The board’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, previously told worried commuters that rail transportation is “incredibly safe” — safer than traveling by car.

In reopening the line, the CTA has increased safety measures “out of an abundance of caution.” That includes power-washing the lines, clearing them of residue and debris and increasing communication.

Also, maximum train speeds have been cut from 55 mph to 35 mph — and to 25 mph where the crashed happened, near the Howard stop, according to Dorval Carter, CTA president. It’s unclear how long the interim safety measures will be in place, and updated routine cleaning and maintenance has been added, Carter said.

While Carter said he understood commuters’ frustration waiting for the train to return to regular service, it was necessary to wait that long to ensure the train was safe.

“We would only make this decision after we had absolute confidence that we could do so safely,” Carter told reporters at the Oakton train stop Friday. “I will never, never compromise safety for expediency.”

The CTA assessed the train lines to make sure none of them had similar elements that could have led to the crash, Carter said, stressing that the cause of the crash is still under investigation and only limited information can be released.

The interruption “created a significant inconvenience” to riders, and the service resumption was “very welcome news” to commuters who use the train, which provides more than 1,000 rides per day, Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen said at the news conference.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

McCray and Gardiner said they had gotten off the Yellow Line just a few hours before the crash in November and heard the news reports while at work, they said.

“It’s strange,” McCray said. “How did that happen?”

In the absence of regular Yellow Line service, a shuttle had been running between all three Yellow Line stops. The shuttle service was scheduled to end as train service resumes, according to the CTA. Service was initially estimated to restart after about a week, but ended up taking nearly two months.

Rob Powell was among other Friday commuters who reflected on the ordeal.

“To have to take the shuttle, it’s inconvenient,” said Powell, who usually takes the Purple Line to Evanston but occasionally rides the Yellow Line. “It does bring a headache. It’s like, ‘Why am I rerouting?’”

While the shuttle had been a pain for some commuters, others, like Allison Tai, didn’t mind so much.

“The yellow bus [temporary shuttle] is very close to the Howard station, so it’s just a few more steps,” said Tai, who works at a bank downtown.

McCray, Gardiner and Tai all said they’re not too worried about another accident coming their way.

“Overall, I think it’s still safe,” Tai said. “This is the most efficient way. It would be too difficult to drive.”

At least one passenger on the train during the crash has sued the CTA. Cleon Hawkins, a 52-year-old Chicago man hospitalized after the crash, alleges in a lawsuit that the “commuter train was operated negligently,” according to a news release issued by the firm representing him, Clifford Law Offices. Even with the Yellow Line’s reopening, the firm is pushing for more answers.

“The public remains in the dark, and the CTA needs to be more transparent so the passengers can have more confidence riding on the Yellow Line,” Joseph T. Murphy, a partner at Clifford Law , said in a news release.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times