14 DAY TRIAL // A reconstruction video of yesterday's train crash in Chicago shows the moment of impact between a runaway train, with no driver aboard, and a stationed train filled with passengers.
The clip has been uploaded by Malay Mail Online. The “ghost train” rode for half a mile (0.8 km) with nobody noticing before crashing, Chicago Tribune reported.
Robert Kelly, president of the CTA rail workers union, gives more details on the Chicago Train Crash. He explains that it is hard to believe that this is a malfunction, as not one, but two keys are needed to operate the train.
He elaborates that you would need a CTA universal key for the cab door and a second one to operate the master controller.
Without a driver, the friction brakes would be on while the train would be stationed in the yard. Even if the key turns power on in the train, a human operator needs to release the brakes.
That is what CTA operators call a “dead man control,” and the operator would need to use both hands to deactivate the dead man switch.
That cannot be done while moving, because it would turn off an automatic brake system and the train would stop.