Donald Wheeler, 59, is not ready to get back on a CTA Yellow Line train.
The Yellow Line, running from Dempster Street in Skokie to Howard Street at the Chicago-Evanston border, returned to service Friday. But some riders, like Wheeler, who experienced the Nov. 16 crash that triggered the seven-week service suspension, remain hesitant.
“I was very fortunate not to have any physical injuries, but the images I saw, I can recall vividly that day,” he said. “The impact of the crash and the legacy of it will never go away in my mind.”
The crash occurred when a Yellow Line train approaching the Howard station at 26.9 mph collided with a snowplow on the tracks. Seven CTA employees and 31 passengers suffered varying injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash, and a full report is expected later this year, but officials have reported that debris on the tracks and an expected stopping distance that turned out to be inaccurate may have contributed to the accident.
When Steve Helmer, 65, heard the Yellow Line was reopening, his first reaction was to “flash back to Nov. 16,” something he said happens often. Helmer was on the train with his wife, daughter and twin 2-year-old grandchildren, “hoping to enjoy an afternoon in downtown Chicago,” when “everything literally turned upside down.”
He said he and his family are “not satisfied” with the answers they’ve gotten so far. At this point, he said he would “absolutely not” feel comfortable getting back on the train and would be concerned if his family members did.
The first step, Helmer said, to making the train feel safe again, is increasing transparency and providing clarity about the reasons for the crash, followed by making the necessary changes to improve safety. Helmer and his family are all represented by Richard Pullano, an attorney who filed lawsuits on behalf of all five.
Wheeler agreed increased transparency from CTA officials is necessary for the service to regain his trust.
“I was surprised it took so long [to reopen], but considering the silence of CTA officials, it should not be all that surprising it took so long, because it seems to me either there’s some incompetency or a possible cover-up,” Wheeler said.
CTA President Dorval Carter said at a Friday news conference that the decision to reopen the Yellow Line was made only when the agency had “absolute confidence” it would be safe. The CTA also assessed all other train lines to ensure none had similar issues.
Carter has said NTSB rules prohibit his agency from commenting about the specifics of crash during the investigation.
Many Yellow Line riders told the Sun-Times Friday they felt comfortable returning after a shutdown that had frustrated many commuters, given that it initially had been estimated to last just one week. Shuttle service connected all three stops in the interim, but some riders found it less convenient.
Wheeler said he’s been taking CTA buses instead, and while it does take longer to get where he’s going, he’s not switching back just yet.
“Until I can fully trust CTA again in terms of its transparency and reliability, that will be the route I will take in the foreseeable future,” he said.
