Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ― The evening rush will be a sticky one for many Metra riders after a Thursday morning freight train derailment just south of Union Station prompted the suspension of a number of Southwest Service trains.

There will be multiple changes to the SouthWest Service schedule Thursday evening, according to Metra spokesman Meg Reile. Trains will leave from Union Station on time, but will be delayed 45-60 minutes en route.

"It may make sense for SouthWest Service riders to use the Rock Island District line, which departs out of Lasalle Station, as an alternative" Reile said.

Metra will offer shuttle buses from two stations on the Rock Island line to three stations on the SWS line, Reile said.

Shuttles will run from the Tinley Park/80th Avenue station on the Rock Island line to the 143rd Street and the 153rd Street stations on the SWS line, she said. Shuttles will also run from the Hickory Creek station on the Rock Island line to the 179th Street station on the SWS line.

The shuttles will operate until the No. 527 train that departs out of Lasalle Station at 8:45 p.m., Reile said.

All three trains scheduled to run on the Heritage Corridor line will be delayed 45-60 minutes, Reile said.

Delays will affect SWS line outbound trains No. 819, 823, 825, 829, 831, 833, 839 and 841, which will be delayed approximately 45-60 minutes, according to a service alert on Metra's Web site. Outbound trains No. 827 and 837 have been cancelled.

SWS line inbound trains No. 834 will depart from 179th Street approximately 45 minutes late and incur additional delays enroute, the alert said. Inbound trains No. 838 and 840 will depart on time but be delayed 45-60 minutes enroute. Inbound trains No. 830, 836 and 842 have been cancelled.

Amtrak train No. 304 scheduled to depart from St. Louis at 3 p.m. has been cancelled and riders are directed to train No. 306 departing at 5:30 p.m., according to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. Train No. 305 scheduled to leave Chicago a 5:15 p.m. has also been cancelled and riders are directed to train No. 307 leaving at 7 p.m.

Friday morning, Amtrak train No. 300 from St. Louis and No. 300 from Chicago have been cancelled, Magliari said. All other trains are operating normally.

Metra initially canceled nine trains because of the Union Pacific freight train derailment, which happened at 8:53 a.m. near 18th and Lumber streets.

Service was suspended for trains No. 807, 811, 822, 826, 827, 837, 836, 842 and 830, according to spokesman Michael Gillis.

Trains will be going around the derailment using tracks that are not normally used, Gillis said. "It's a bit more of a complicated move that is definitely slowing everything down."

Emergency crews responded to the derailment at 8:53 a.m., according to Fire Media Affairs Chief Kevin MacGregor, who said no passengers were aboard the train and there were no reports of injury. A HazMat response, due to a minor fuel leak in the Chicago River, was secured at 9:45 a.m.

Four Union Pacific locomotives on the eight-car train rolled from a railyard at Canal Street, according to Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis.

"Two of the locomotives had a couple of wheels off the rail and two others were leaning slightly off the tracks," Davis said.

A rail worker at the scene said workers had gotten off the train and, for some reason, did not set the brake properly. Something went wrong and the train started rolling down a hill and hit a derail, intended to stop the train but did not work.

The derailment immediately blocked two Southwest Service trains, No. 812 and 818. All affected Metra trains were either leaving from the 179th Street station in Orland Park and heading to Union Station or heading back to Orland Park from Union Station, Gillis said.

The incident also prompted delays for three Amtrak trains from the East Coast. Two trains were heading from New York and one from Washington, D.C., according to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. The trains will be detoured and should be able to make connections to the West Coast.

Magliari said passengers traveling on the Amtrak Lincoln Service line from St. Louis and the Wolverine Service from Michigan were also affected. Those passengers will be utilizing motor coaches between Chicago and Joliet.

Davis said it was unclear what caused the derailment and said once they're able to lift the cars, engineers will investigate.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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