Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― A cable fire on CTA elevated tracks in the River North neighborhood caused major delays and cancellations overnight, at a time when the Red Line subway and half of the CTA's elevated Loop stations already were shut down for construction work.

The fire was reported shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday on "L" tracks just south of Van Buren Street. No one was injured, but the Chicago Transit Authority says it may have caused damage to the elevated structure.

While workers checked for possible structural damage and cleaned up the effects of the fire, downtown service was halted on the Green and Orange Lines, as well as on the Red Line, which had been diverted to the elevated tracks because of weekend work on the subway line. Service was also affected on the CTA's Brown and Pink Lines.

Service resumed on the elevated tracks shortly after 6 a.m. 

But due to weekend construction, the elevated Brown, Orange, Green and Pink Line stations along Wabash Avenue and Lake Streets were closed, which means the Brown, Orange and Green Lines are only operating on the tracks along Wells and Van Buren. Pink Line trains will operate between 54th/Cermak and Ashland only. 

Southbound Brown Line trains entering the Loop will operate on the outer Loop track as Orange Line trains from the Merchandise Mart to Midway. From the Merchandise Mart, southbound Orange Line trains will make their first stop at Washington/Wells, then Quincy/Wells, LaSalle/Van Buren and Library, then proceed to Roosevelt where they will resume normal southbound Orange Line service to Midway.

Northbound Orange Line trains entering the Loop will operate on the inner Loop track as Brown Line trains from Roosevelt to Kimball. From Roosevelt, northbound Brown Line trains will make their first stop at Library, then LaSalle/Van Buren, Quincy/Wells and Washington/Wells, then proceed to the Merchandise Mart where they will resume normal northbound Brown Line service to Kimball.

Northbound Green Line trains will be rerouted to the inner Loop track along Van Buren and Wells. Northbound Green Line trains will make their first stop at Library, then LaSalle/Van Buren, Quincy/Wells and Washington/Wells, then proceed to Clinton and resume the regular route. Southbound Green Line trains will be rerouted to the outer Loop track along Wells and Van Buren. Southbound Green Line trains will make their first stop at Washington/Wells, Quincy/Wells, LaSalle/Van Buren and Library, then proceed to Roosevelt where they will resume normal southbound service.

Pink Line trains will operate between 54th/Cermak and Ashland only. Customers who want to travel to the Loop will be asked to transfer to southbound Green Line trains at Ashland. Customers who want to travel from the Loop and connect with service along the 54th/Cermak branch will be asked to take a northbound Green Line train to Ashland and transfer to a Pink Line train.

Red Line trains that normally operate through the subway between the Fullerton station and the Cermak-Chinatown station will operate on the elevated structure. Northbound Red Line trains will operate normally from 95th to Cermak-Chinatown, then reroute to the Roosevelt elevated station and proceed to the inner Loop track along Van Buren and Wells. Northbound Red Line trains will make their first stop at Library, then LaSalle/Van Buren, Quincy/Wells, Washington/Wells, Merchandise Mart, Chicago/Franklin, Sedgwick and Armitage, then to Fullerton where they will resume normal northbound service. Southbound Red Line trains will operate normally from Howard to Fullerton, then reroute to Armitage, Sedgwick, Chicago/Franklin and Merchandise Mart, then to the outer Loop track along Wells and Van Buren. In the Loop, southbound Red Line trains will stop at Washington/Wells, Quincy/Wells, LaSalle/Van Buren, Library to Roosevelt elevated, then proceed to the Cermak-Chinatown station where they will resume normal southbound Red Line service.

For customers who want to travel eastbound or westbound from rail stations along Van Buren and Wells, the following bus routes provide east-west service and are near stations along Van Buren and Wells:

• #126 Jackson and #151 Sheridan buses provide eastbound service on Jackson Street, and westbound service on Adams Street. 
• #14 Jeffery Express, #56 Milwaukee and #60 Blue Island/26th buses provide eastbound service on Monroe Street, and along with the #124 Navy Pier buses provide westbound service on Madison Street.
  

Operations were expected to return to normal by early Monday morning.

The Associated Press and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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