CTA Yellow Line reopens nearly two months after crash that injured 23

In the still, dark moments before dawn Friday, a familiar voice echoed on the CTA Howard platform: “This is a Yellow Line train to Dempster - Skokie.”

It was the first time that commuters heard the announcement after a Yellow Line CTA train rear-ended a snowplow Nov. 16, injuring dozens and halting service for weeks, causing hurdles for frustrated and nervous travelers.

“CTA has extensively examined all aspects of Yellow Line operations, from tracks and signals to train operations and communications,” a news release from the CTA reads. “Several test trains have run along the line, over multiple days in various weather conditions.”

The November crash injured 38 — 23 were taken to hospitals, three were listed in critical condition and 15 declined medical attention at the scene.

Friday morning, bundled up commuters hustled between the Yellow Line, which connects north suburban Skokie to the rest of the city, and the Red and Purple Lines at the Howard stop in Rogers Park.

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash, including the cause, and a full report is expected later this year. The board’s chair Jennifer Homendy previously told worried commuters rail transportation is “incredibly safe” — safer than traveling by car.

The CTA has increased safety measures “out of an abundance of caution” when reopening the line, including power washing the lines, clearing them of residue and debris, increasing communications and reduced speed.

In the absence of regular Yellow Line service, a shuttle has been running between the stops. The shuttle service was scheduled to end as train service resumes, according to the CTA. Service was initially estimated to restart after about a week, but ended up taking nearly two months.

“To have to take the shuttle, it’s inconvenient,” said Rob Powell, a commuter who usually takes the Purple Line to Evanston but occasionally rides the Yellow Line. “It does bring a headache. It’s like, ‘Why am I rerouting?’”

At least one passenger on the train during the crash has sued the CTA in Cook County Circuit Court. Cleon Hawkins, a 52-year-old Chicago man who was hospitalized after the crash, alleges in the suit the “commuter train was operated negligently,” according to a news release issued by the firm representing him, Clifford Law Offices.