A Chicago eight-car commuter train crashed at O’Hare International Airport in the US early on 24 March, injuring nearly 32 people.

According to airport officials, the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) 2600 Series cars jumped off the track, crossed a platform, collided and climbed up to an escalator at the US airport. No serious injuries were reported.

A Chicago transit union president said that the train operator may have been asleep in the train’s cab when it crashed. The train was not fitted with an event data recorder, but featured an outward-facing video system.

"The train is not going to go anywhere for the foreseeable future."

A CTA spokesman said a probe would be launched to identify the cause of the crash and investigate the signals and equipment.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) railroad accident investigator Tim DePaepe said: "The train is not going to go anywhere for the foreseeable future.

"We need to examine the train and the position it’s in prior to its movement."

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The station currently remains closed and passengers are temporarily being moved to O’Hare through the nearby Rosemont station.

CTA’s Blue Line service to the airport also remains closed and may open after the investigators review the crash site and the wreckage is cleared.

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