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 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20591

RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT

Adopted: June 28, 1973

Collision of Illinois Central Gulf Railroad

Commuter Trains, Chicago, Illinois

October 30, 1972

I. SYNOPSIS

During the morning rush hour on October 30, 1972, Illinois central Gulf Railroad (ICG) commuter train 416, which consisted of four new bi-level Highliner cars, overran the 27th Street station at Chicago, Ill. While backing up to the station platform, at 7:38 a.m., train 416 was struck from the rear by ICG commuter train 720, which consisted of six older cars and was operating on the same track as the train 416. A third train, passing on an adjacent track, sideswiped the wreckage.

The collision destroyed the rear half of the last car on train 416 and the first 10 feet of the lead car on train 720; 45 passengers were killed, and 332 persons were injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the reverse movement of train 416 without flag protection into a previously vacated signal block and the failure of the engineer of train 720, while operating faster than the prescribed speed, to perceive the train ahead in time to avoid the collision. Ambiguous rules which caused confusion among employees regarding the necessity to flag within automatic-block signal system limits and the reduced importance of flagging in suburban service implied by the management's failure to enforce Rules 7, 55, 99, 896, and 1003 also contributed to the accident.

Contributing to the high incidence of fatality was the overriding of the underframe of the Highliner car by the older car, which allowed the older car to telescope the Highliner car.