Jul 19, 2008 9:53 pm US/Central
Minor Derailment, Power Problem Snag CTA Red Line
Shuttle Buses In Place Between 35th, Cermak As Sox Game Winds Down
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
A minor derailment forced passengers to get off a Red Line train at the Cermak-Chinatown station Saturday evening, and afterward, a power problem forced the CTA to shut down part of the line just as a White Sox game wound down.
But trains were running again not too long afterward.
The southbound train was approaching the station, at Cermak Road just east of Wentworth Avenue, around 7:15 p.m., when there was "minor derailment," fire and CTA officials said.
Chicago Transit Authority President Ron Huberman said because of power issues, crews were manually switching the direction of the trains, when someone made a mistake.
"In this particular instance, we had a supervisor who incorrectly set off the switch, and has come forward and identified that they incorrectly set off the switch," Huberman said. "The train was moving at an extremely slow rate of speed, and… the front car was in the station at the time of the incident."
Since the incident occurred at the station, all passengers were able to exit the train safely on the elevated platform, CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said.
The train never left the elevated area, but the wheels were "slightly" misaligned, Taylor said.
Fire crews were sent to the scene, but no one was injured, Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado said.
But afterward, a power problem was preventing trains from running at the station, so shuttle buses were in use between the Sox-35th and Cermak-Chinatown stations, CTA President Ron Huberman said at the scene.
This was put into effect as a White Sox game against the Kansas City Royals was winding down. The Sox-35th Red Line station is a point of exit for thousands after White Sox games.
But northbound trains were running again by the 9 p.m., although they were not stopping at Cermak-Chinatown. Shuttle buses remained in effect for southbound trains. No problems were reported in regard to fans leaving the White Sox game.
By 9:50 p.m., the Red Line had returned to normal, and trains were stopping at Cermak-Chinatown again.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
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