On September 4, 2024, about 12:11 p.m. local time, the conductor of northbound Union Pacific Railroad (UP) train MCHAL-04 was struck and killed by southbound Northern Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation (METRA) commuter train M338 at milepost 50.5 of the UP Kenosha Subdivision near Kenosha, Wisconsin. (See figure.) There were no other reported fatalities or injuries. At the time of the accident, and the temperature was 79°F with no precipitation. Although skies were clear with midday light, visibility was impeded by a grove of trees beside the tracks on the southern half of the curve.
At milepost 46.5, train MCHAL-04 had passed through a wayside defect detector, which detected an issue with the 51st railcar on the train. After receiving a hot-wheel alert from a UP dispatcher at 11:58 a.m., the conductor exited the locomotive, which was stopped on Main Track 1. He then walked across the adjacent Main Track 2 stood on the heads of the rail ties on the east side, and had the locomotive move forward so that he could examine the wheel on the 51st railcar.[1] As the conductor was waiting to examine the suspected hot wheel, train M338, with the cab car in the leading position, rounded the curve and struck him.[2]
Following the accident, on September 5, 2024, UP issued a safety alert to brief their employees on the accident and reinforce the applicable operating/safety rules relevant to the investigation. Since METRA is operated by UP employees, the safety alert was applicable to those employees as well.
While on scene, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators conducted inspections of equipment, track, and signals, including the wayside defect detector at milepost 46.5. They also conducted sight distance observations with an exemplar METRA train, reviewed surveillance cameras, event recorders, inward- and outward-facing image recorders, and radio communications. The NTSB also conducted interviews and reviewed the training records, policies, and procedures for both UP and METRA.
The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on adjacent track protection rules where changes may possibly mitigate the risk for train crews on the ground.[3]
Parties to the investigation include:
- the Federal Railroad Administration;
- UP;
- METRA;
- the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; and
- the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
[1] A
hot wheel on a railcar refers to the overheating of its wheels. This typically happens because of overheating is severe, it can lead to thermal cracking of the wheels. A hot wheel alert is a notification provided to a train crew to inform them that a hot wheel has been detected on the train.
[2] A cab car, also sometimes known as a control car, is a nonpowered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. Since Metra train M338 was led by the cab car, its approach was not as loud as it may have been had it been led by a locomotive.
[3] An adjacent track is one whose center is spaced less than 25 feet from the center of the occupied track. However, it is often used to refer to any track that is located close to another track. It is vital for adjacent tracks to be identified to ensure the safety of workers and the proper coordination of train movements, especially when maintenance or other activities are being conducted on or near the tracks.
