>> FEDERAL SAFETY OFFICIALS ARE INVESTIGATING LAST WEEK'S CTA TRAIN CRASH THAT INJURED NEARLY 40 PEOPLE WHEN IT STRUCK INTO SNOW.

PROBABLY REMOVAL EQUIPMENT.

THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD RELEASED A PRELIMINARY REPORT CITING A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM.

AND JOINING US WITH MORE ON THAT IS JOSEPH SCHWIETERMAN, A PROFESSOR AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY SPECIALIZING IN PUBLIC POLICY AND TRANSPORTATION.

JOE SULLIVAN, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU.

SO AS WE SAID, THE NTSB IS LOOKING AT A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM.

WHAT IS THIS DESIGN PROBLEM?

>> YOU KNOW, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT REALLY RISING SEAS, 5,000 SERIOUS CPA CARS TO BE ON ON THE ROAD A LONG TIME.

RAILS AND THE STOPPING DISTANCE ACTUALLY LONGER THAN WHAT'S BEST FUSION SUGGESTED.

SO THAT APPEARS TO BE A FACTOR HERE THAT EXTRA 1000 FEET NEEDED TO SAFELY STOP CORNER.

WHEN YOU'RE OPERATING AT THAT TOP SPEED OF 55 AND YELLOW LINE.

NOW, ONE OF THE VARIABLES HERE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO IS THE RESIDUE ON THE TRACKS, YOU KNOW, COULD HAVE CRUSH ME.

USE FROM QUESTION MEANS THE MADE THAT STOPPING EVEN LONGER.

>> SO COULD CTA ANYTHING TO RECOGNIZE THIS BEFORE THE ISSUE HAPPENED.

YOU MENTIONED ABOUT 1000 FOOT DIFFERENCE HERE IN THE BRAKING REQUIREMENTS THAN WHAT WAS.

ALLOWED FOR.

>> YEAH, CERTAINLY WE'RE WONDERING THE REST.

REPORT IS NOT YET CLEAR IF THERE WERE DRIVER ERRANT BALL IF BRAKES ARE APPLIED IMMEDIATELY, IF THERE WAS SOME.

SAFE STOPPING THE HOWARD STATIONS.

THIS TRAIN IS COMING IN FROM THE YELLOW LINE.

THE VISIBILITY IS A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING LOCATION WITH UNDERPASS THE STOPPING OBVIOUSLY, I WAS MISSED GREATLY WITHOUT GETTING AT 26 MILES PER HOUR OR SO WE SEE AIR PRETTY MODEL FACTORS HERE.

AND THE OTHER THING I KIND OF STRIKING IS HOW THE RADIO COMMUNICATION IMPRESSIVE WHEN THE ALERT IN THE TRAIN'S MOTORMAN OF VERY AROUND THE TRACKS BUT DIDN'T REACH THE TRAIN QUESTION WE'RE NOT SO THAT A MYSTERY SURROUNDING THAT AS WELL.

>> YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF ANY OTHER TRAIN LINES AND THEY'RE BRAKING SYSTEMS.

WELL, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF IMPLICATIONS.

SURE.

YEAH.

THIS IS 800 NUMBER OF THESE ACCIDENTS.

FORTUNATELY, I NOT MANY FATALITIES.

24.14 ACCIDENTAL HERE WHICH WAS DRIVER ERROR A PARTIALLY WITH EXCESSIVE SPEED STATION SMALLER ACCIDENT ON THE PURPLE LINE IN 2019.

SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK LOOKING PART OF DRIVER TRAINING, WHETHER NEW EMPLOYEES, PERHAPS THAN SOME OF THESE ACCIDENTS.

THAT ECCENTRIC PROPER SAFETY.

BUT THERE'S A WHOLE PATTERN HERE.

YOU KNOW, FORTUNATELY, YOU THERE HASN'T BEEN A GREAT LOSS OF LIFE, BUT THIS LAST ACTIONS BIT OF A WAKE-UP CALL.

>> NO LOSS OF LIFE, ALTHOUGH SOME PASSENGERS ARE FILING LAWSUITS AGAINST THE CTA RIGHT NOW.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS?

ANY DOCUMENTED INJURIES HERE?

>> WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE 20 FOR THE NEXT AND THERE WAS A LOT OF LEGAL SETTLEMENTS BECAUSE IT WAS CLEAR DRIVER'S AIR.

I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, THE LINGERING QUESTION.

MANY ARE ASKING CPA SHOULD I POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL AND REALLY FAST TIMETABLE POSSIBLY CAN TO STOP THIS ACCIDENT.

THAT'S EXTRAORDINARILY EXPENSIVE COMES ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.

COSTS ARE LOT OF OTHER SAFETY ISSUES ON THE CTA WITH OLDER BRIDGES WORSE WITH BUS, STOP SAFETY ISSUES LOT OF PLACES.

AND SO IT'S A REAL TOUGH, TOUGH SITUATION.

GET THOSE SAFETY DOLLARS GET THE MOST BENEFIT.

BUT YOU CAN BET THESE LAWSUITS GOING 0 IN SOME OF THE SAFETY SYSTEMS ON THE OUT.

>> IT'S ALSO QUESTIONS AS TO WHY THIS SNOW REMOVAL WAS ON THE TRACK.

IS THAT UNUSUAL THAT IT WAS JUST KIND OF SITTING THERE ON THE TRACK?

>> YOU KNOW, THIS REALLY SOMEWHAT SURPRISING OPEN THEIR REPAIR FACILITIES THERE ON THE YELLOW WANT TO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN HOW THE ORDER WHICH YOU'VE BEEN OUT THERE.

IT'S A >> KIND OF A BIG GUY.

>> COMPLEX YARDER WITH IT'S STORAGE FACILITIES IS A REGULAR THING.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE YELLOW LINE DOESN'T RUN ALL DAY LONG.

THERE ARE INTERVALS WERE DOESN'T RUN.

USUALLY IT'S BEST MOVE THAT EQUIPMENT.

>> DIFFERENT TIMES THE DAY.

AND CERTAINLY EXPECTING SNOW SO TO GET A GOOD EXPLANATION WHY THIS COURT WAS MOVING AND WHY SO MANY PEOPLE WERE ON BOY, IT WAS A RECIPE DISASTER.

>> ALL BREAKING UP A LITTLE BIT THERE, JOE, BUT I THINK WE'VE GOT THE THRUST OF EVERYTHING YOU SAID WHAT THAT WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NTSB STILL HAS TO ANSWER HERE.

>> QUITE A BIT.

AND WE NEED TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TO DO WITH THE MOTOR MAN, CONDUCTOR ON THE TRAINS TO WHY WHY THE SPEED MAY HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVE GIVEN THE THIS RESIDUE ON THE TRACKS.

AND THAT COULD BE A BIT OF A GAME CHANGER IF WE HAVE CONDITIONS THAT WEREN'T FACTORED SOME OF THE SPECIFICATIONS.

YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE REALLY OR OIL ON THE TRACKS, I THINK THERE'S ALSO JUST GOING TO BE SOME REAL QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVE A PIECE OF SNOW APPOINTMENT.

IT MAGNIFIES THE EFFECT OF THE ACCIDENT METAL PROJECTILES JUST, YOU KNOW, PIERS, RIGHT INTO THE HEART GETS.

SO IT MADE THE EFFECT OF THIS ACTION A LOT WORSE THAN SEEING JUST 2 NORMAL CARS WITH HIT.

I'M PRETTY GRUESOME SCENE SIGHT.

>> PROBABLY COULD HAVE BEEN