Chicago
A commuter train that derailed near downtown Chicago, killing two passengers, was traveling almost 60 mph over the speed limit, investigators said this week. The double-decker train was switching tracks, and should have been inching along at 10 mph. A “black box” indicated it was moving at 69 mph. The locomotive and five rail cars jumped the tracks, and slammed into a steel bridge. Dozens of the 185 passengers were injured. The engineer, who had been on the job just 45 days, has been placed on a suicide watch, investigators said. He and three other crew members were also tested for drugs and alcohol, a standard procedure. In 2003, another train, speeding at 70 mph, derailed while switching tracks on the same stretch of track, injuring 45 people.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
