Metra, Amtrak Delays Expected At Union Station Thursday Morning
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Delays on Metra and Amtrak trains at Union Station were expected during the Thursday morning commute after a partial train derailment that caused delays throughout the day on Wednesday.
Delays of 10 to 20 minutes were expected on the BNSF, SouthWest Service and Heritage Corridor lines, according to a statement from Metra. Fewer tracks are available as crews worked overnight to remove the train and repair tracks damaged during the Tuesday night derailment, as well as damaged signal equipment and multiple switches that control tracks to the station's South Concourse platforms.
Work to restore service to the tracks was expected to continue throughout the day Thursday, the transit agency said. Delays may be possible during Thursday evening's rush hour and commuters can expect an update from Metra and Amtrak later in the day.
About 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, an inbound SouthWest Service train was arriving at Union Station when the third, fourth and fifth cars derailed, Metra said. The other five cars of the eight-car train and the locomotive remained on the tracks, and the derailed cars remained upright.
Three passengers were on the train at the time and no injuries were reported, the statement said.
During Wednesday evening's rush hour, Metra's BNSF and SouthWest lines experienced delays of up to 30 minutes, Metra said in a statement. Delays of up to 15 minutes happened on the Heritage Corridor line.
Amtrak trains also experienced delays of between 30 and 45 minutes, the transit agency said in a statement. Service in the station's north concourse, including Amtrak Hiawatha Service trains, was "largely unaffected."
Amtrak and Metra customers should check information displays and listen carefully to boarding announcements because some trains could be arriving and departing from tracks that differ from normal.
The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)