CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Area Transit System announced a non-revenue Lynx Blue Line train derailed at 2:32 a.m. Tuesday near South End.
According to CATS, the derailment happened on a section of the track that helps transition rail vehicles from one track to another.
Since it was a non-revenue track, no passengers were on board at the time.
The train was traveling under 10 mph when it derailed, CATS said. The train did not jump the tracks due to the derailment and remained upright.
"Preliminary findings by CATS safety personnel suggest that the derailment was due to operator error," a CATS press release sent on Tuesday read. "A failure by the operator to stop led the rail car to derail."
The operator of the train was not injured.
It took a little over four hours to get the derailed train removed and to restore the track involved to service.
This latest derailment is adding to the list of ongoing derailment issues that have beleaguered CATS. In July, CATS began repairs on light rail trains with the hopes to correct an issue that caused a 2022 derailment. Earlier this year, it was disclosed publically for the first time that a Charlotte Blue Line train derailed in May 2022. The minor derailment was caused by a faulty wheel bearing associated with the train's wheel axle. Repairs are expected to continue through late 2027.
The faulty wheel bearing issue is only present on the Siemens S70 trains, which CATS operates for its Blue Line service, according to CATS. On the Gold Line street car service, CATS uses the Siemens S700 trains, which do not have the faulty wheel bearing issue.
CATS Safety Division will conduct an investigation into this recent derailment. The findings of that investigation will be reported to the North Carolina Department of Transportation State Safety Oversight Division.
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