National
Transportation Safety Board
Highway Accident Report
October 31, 1995
Emergency
Safety Recommendations Following Collision of
Commuter Express Train with School Bus in Suburban Chicago
On
October 25, 1995, a school bus owned and operated by the Crystal Lake
(Illinois) School District and transporting 35 high school students
was stopped on northbound Algonquin Road at its intersection with State
Route (S.R.) 14, in Fox River Grove, Illinois. The driver was waiting
for a green traffic signal to proceed onto westbound S.R. 14. At this
location, S.R. 14 is east-west roadway paralleled by railroad tracks.
The nearest rail is 30 feet, 4 inches from the intersection stop line
for northbound Algonquin Road traffic. The 38-foot, 4 inch-long school
bus exceeded the 30-foot, 4-inch space available, causing the rear of
the school bus to extend over the railroad tracks.
About 7:10 a.m., the rear of the school bus struck
by an eastbound Metra Express commuter train en route to Chicago traveling
about 70 mph, the authorized track speed. The train consisted of a locomotive
and seven bi-level passenger cars operating in a push configuration.
The tracks are owned by the Union Pacific Railroad Company.
Seven of the school bus student passengers were fatally
injured; all the remaining students and the school bus driver sustained
critical to minor injuries. The train's crew and passengers were not
injured.
The grade crossing at Algonquin Road is equipped with
two gates, lights, and a bell. The grade crossing signal control equipment
at this crossing activates the crossing warning devices at the predetermined
warning time regardless of the approach speed of the train. The train
approach circuits, installed 3,080 feet east and west of the grade crossing,
are designed to accommodate a maximum train speed of 70 mph. The Federal
Railroad Administration requires a minimum of 20 seconds of warning
time between the time that the bell and lights activate and the time
the train arrives at a grade crossing.
The intersection of S.R. 14 and Algonquin Road is
controlled by red, yellow, and green traffic signals. A "city interconnect
circuit" (CIC) at the grade crossing signal cabinet preempts the normal
highway traffic signal light sequence upon approach of a train. When
the CIC activates, a 12-second pedestrian clearance time is initiated
to allow pedestrians to move out of the crosswalk over Algonquin Road.
The green signal for traffic of S.R. 14 then changes to amber for 4.5
seconds, then to red for 1.5 seconds, while the traffic signal for northbound
Algonquin Road remains red. Only after this sequence is completed does
the traffic signal for northbound Algonquin Road turn green. This timing
sequence results in an 18-second red light display for northbound Algonquin
Road traffic, which allows only 2 seconds for a northbound driver to
react to the green signal and attempt to clear the tracts. The CIC was
installed in January 1990.
The
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices(1) (MUTCD) states:
When
the grade crossing is equipped with an active traffic control system,
the normal sequence of highway intersection signal indications should
be preempted upon the approach of trains to avoid entrapment of vehicles
on the crossing by conflicting aspects of the highway traffic signals
and the grade crossing signals... The preemption sequence initiated
when the train first enters the approach circuit shall at once bring
into effect a highway signal display which will permit traffic to clear
the tracks before the train reaches the crossing. The preemption shall
not cause any short vehicular clearances and all necessary vehicular
clearances shall be provided. However, because of the relative hazards
involved, pedestrian clearances may be abbreviated in order to provide
the track clearance display as early as possible.
Conflicting indications must not be permitted and
every green signal indication must be terminated with a yellow indication
as specified in the MUTCD. The MUTCD states:
Vehicular clearance intervals can usually be readily
provided. However, provision of normal pedestrian clearance intervals,
where pedestrian signals are provided near railroad crossings, may greatly
complicate the design, installation, and operation of the total system.
Thus, pedestrian clearance intervals may be abbreviated, but must still
be adequate.
The Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Handbook(2) indicates
that in designing the preemption, the following elements should be considered:
intersection geometrics, vehicular volume, queue lengths and dissipation
rate, proximity of the crossing to the intersection, train movements,
approach speeds for trains and motor vehicles, public transportation
vehicles, school buses, and trucks carrying large or hazardous cargoes.
The Traffic Control Devices Handbook(3) indicates
that when preempted by train movements, the traffic control signal (after
provision of the proper phase change intervals) will immediately provide
a short green interval to the approach crossing the track. However,
to accommodate pedestrians the green signal for vehicular traffic can
be delayed as illustrated in the aforementioned accident.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration database,
of the approximately 180,000 public grade crossings in the inventory,
about 1,400 are listed as having a train-activated warning device that
is interconnected with a highway traffic signal. At those 1,400, there
were over 5,000 accidents involving approximately 415 highway vehicle
occupant fatalities during the period 1982-1994.
The Safety Board's investigation of the Fox River
Grove accident is continuing. However, the Safety Board is concerned
that the railroad/highway traffic signal control guidelines may permit
the signal timing conditions illustrated in this accident. Consequently,
the Safety Board believes that this condition may exist elsewhere at
highway/railroad grade crossings where control of a highway traffic
signal is preempted by train movements.
Therefore the National Transportation Safety Board
recommends to all State Directors of Transportation:
Identify
all highway/railroad grade crossings where control of a highway traffic
signal is preempted by train movements. In cooperation with the Federal
Highway Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration, determine
if the preemption allows sufficient time for vehicles to safely clear
the crossing. For those crossings determined to have insufficient time
for vehicles to safely clear, take immediate corrective action. (Class
I, Urgent Action) (H-95-15)
The
National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency
with the statutory responsibility "...to promote transportation safety
by conducting independent accident investigations and by formulating safety
improvement recommendations" (Public Law 93-633). The Safety Board is
vitally interested in any actions taken as a result of its safety recommendations
and would appreciate a response from you regarding action taken or contemplated
with respect to the recommendation in this letter. Please refer to Safety
Recommendation H-95-15 in your reply.
Chairman
HALL, Vice Chairman FRANCIS, Member HAMMERSCHMIDT, and Member GOGLIA
concurred in this recommendation.
References:
(1)
The MUTCD is approved by the Federal Highway Administration as the standard
for all streets and highways open to public travel in accordance with
Title 23, United States Code, Sections 109 (b), 109(d), and 402(a) and
23 CFR 1204.4.
(2)
Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Handbook, Second Edition, Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA-TS-86-215) September 1986, pp. 115-116.
(3)
Traffic Control Devices Handbook, Federal Highway Administration, 1983.
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