An electrical arc ignited track grease along a stretch of the Chicago subway Sunday, causing a fire that injured 19 subway riders.
Heavy smoke was reported at 4:58 p.m. on Sunday along the red line tracks just north of the citys downtown area, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado told Lube Report. We had approximately 32 companies and about 100 personnel at the scene, Rosado said, adding that the fire took about an hour to extinguish.
Preliminary findings indicate that arcing from the rails ignited grease that was on the tracks and concrete ties, Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney told Lube Report.
Gaffney explained that the transit authority uses a curve greasing process that is fairly common and is known in the rail industry as a friction management system.
The digitally controlled distribution system applies lubricant to the track – not the rail car wheels – to help increase rail and wheel life by preventing metal-on-metal grinding as trains go through a curve, she noted. The machines are essentially enclosed containers equipped with grease, pumps and sensors.
According to Gaffney, the CTA has about 100 such machines, located at the entrance of each curve. A sensor located a short distance in front of the machine is activated when a train passes over and approaches the curve, she continued A hose from the machine travels under the rail and applies lubricant as the train passes over.