Metra: Service back on track for morning commute

Normal Metra service has resumed Tuesday morning on most of the lines affected by a derailment Monday afternoon in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

North Central Service train No. 107 derailed about 3:15 p.m. near Wabansia and Hamlin, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. No injuries were reported.

Riders were put on the last two cars of the train, which was towed back to the Western station, where they disembarked, Metra officials said.

Crews had to bring in a crane to move the derailed train off of a switch and back onto the tracks, spokeswoman Meg Reile said.

They have since repaired the switch and the rails. The train will be taken to an off-site facility for repairs.

Metra crews move a crane into position at the spot where a train derailed Monday afternoon, snarling three northern lines through the night. | Craig Newman/Sun-Times

The incident crippled the Milwaukee District North and West lines and the North Central service during the Monday evening rush, transit officials said.

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, Metra was anticipating normal service for the morning commute on the Milwaukee District North and West lines, according to service alerts posted on its website.

The North Central Service was expected to operate with normal service except for train No. 108, which was scheduled to depart Antioch at 6:45 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 8:11 a.m., according to Metra. That train will not operate Tuesday.

Train No. 110, which was expected to depart Antioch at 6:49 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 8:28 a.m., was scheduled to accommodate train No. 108’s passengers.

A police officer guards the scene were crews are working to restore Metra service after a derailment. | Craig Newman/Sun-Times

As of late Monday, officials had no word on the cause of the derailment. They said the incident remains under investigation.

There is no estimate of when the lines will be moving normally again.

A rider on the Milwaukee District North Line said his 6:55 p.m. train from Union Station sat on the tracks for more than an hour between Western and Healy even though an announcement made over the loudspeaker told riders there would only be a “slight delay.”

“Passengers were very upset as it became apparent that we would not be going anywhere for a long time,” said the rider, who wished to remain anonymous. “In reality, the train is delayed by at least one-hour-and-15-minutes. I would have found alternate transportation if I was told the truth, and I am sure that many of my fellow passengers would have done the same.”