The Strange Story of the CTA Train That Moved Without a Driver — What Really Happened Beneath Chicago’s Tracks
When the “Ghost Train” Became Real
There are urban legends, and then there are stories that leave even the experts scratching their heads. Back in 2013, Chicago lived one such moment—the mysterious incident of a driverless CTA train quietly rolling onto the Blue Line, through Forest Park yard, and into the path of a live train. No one saw anyone step aboard. No signals warned. No cameras recorded movement. One moment it sat dormant; the next, it was a rogue machine, slowly climbing the incline, then crashing into another train and injuring nearly thirty people. The media called it the “ghost train,” and transit workers called it surreal. There are systems designed to prevent precisely this kind of anomaly—failing safeguards, locked yards, mandatory protocols—but none stopped this. One union official, with nearly three decades on the job, confessed he had never seen anything like it. It was a quiet crash with loud consequences, and Chicago’s rail network has never sounded the same since.
What Might Have Gone Wrong
A few theories sprouted in the aftermath. Was it an electrical glitch? A mechanical failure? Or something darker—like hacking into the system’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)? SCADA systems manage everything from factory machinery to city infrastructure—and yes, the CTA uses one to monitor much of its rail operations. In theory, someone with the right access—and intent—could override safeguards and even disable cameras. A cybersecurity expert told Vice investigators that—while the idea sounds like sci-fi—it’s not impossible. The SCADA system had just been implemented a year before, and new systems can be vulnerable. But the CTA, mayor’s office, and even the system’s developer were tight-lipped. The story remains murky, with no confirmed motive, method, or explanation.
More Than Just a Legend
By now, you might be expecting a spooky ghost story complete with eerie whistles and phantom drivers. But this occurred in broad daylight, under everyday circumstances. Transit runs behind schedules, drivers are late, but they still show up. This went beyond scheduling mistakes. Whatever prompted the train to roll without a conductor broke more than protocols—it broke trust.
The CTA insists it has since fortified controls, tightened procedures, and improved camera coverage. Regular physical checks, updated SCADA protocols, and security audits all followed. The “ghost train” has never happened again. But its memory lingers in the system, in whispers among engineers, in the trembling pause at the yard where it all began.
Because this was not folklore—it was reality. It was Chicago’s industrial machinery, momentarily untethered. It rolled on its own accord, in silence, and left injured passengers and stunned staff in its wake. Whether computer or human error, there was a breach between what should happen, and what did.
Lena Carter is a travel writer and photographer passionate about uncovering the beauty and diversity of the world’s most stunning destinations. With a background in cultural journalism and over five years of experience in travel blogging, she focuses on turning real-world visuals into inspiring stories. Lena believes that every city, village, and natural wonder has a unique story to tell — and she’s here to share it one photo and article at a time.
