Frustrated CTA passengers wonder when Yellow Line will reopen after November train crash

SKOKIE, Ill. (WLS) -- Frustrated CTA passengers are hoping to get back to their regular commutes after a train crash last month led to the need for extensive repairs to the tracks.

The NTSB said its preliminary report about the November train crash on the Yellow Line tracks could be available this week.

In the meantime, people who rely on the CTA Yellow Line as part of their commute can hop on free shuttle buses, but they told ABC7 that has made their commute time a lot longer.

The three-stop train line is also known as the "Skokie Swift."

Passenger Sandra Johnson said when the the train was running it was a quick trip from the Dempster to Howard stops.

"By seven minutes I'm at Howard," Johnson said. "And then I can take the purple line or red line."

Passenger Alay Gandhi said since the shuttle buses have taken the place of the train, his commute has been slow going.

"We go from the road, so it takes 20 to 25 minutes to get from here to Howard," Gandhi said. "While in the Yellow Line, probably takes 10 minutes."

On November 16, a Yellow Line train was approaching the Howard station when it rear ended a snow plow that was on the tracks. Nearly two dozen people were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The line remains closed as federal regulators investigated equipment design. The CTA said it continues to review operations on the line.

Dr. P.S. Sriraj is the director of the Urban Transportation Center at UIC. He said while he understands that commuters might be getting anxious for the train to start running again, it's important for the investigation to be thorough.

"The enormity of the accident itself, the incident itself, will make it compelling enough for city to do its due diligence in terms of taking its time, making sure that getting to the root cause of the issue," Dr. Sriraj said.

In the meantime, passenger Ryan Suh said the change hasn't been that bad.

"I thought it would be fixed by now," Suh said. "But it's not that bad, 'cause the shuttle is usually on time."