Metra UP/West delays continue after fire at Union Pacific facility

Metra Union Pacific/West trains will continue to see delays Wednesday evening and Thursday morning after a fire erupted earlier in the week at a railroad facility in west suburban Melrose Park.

Metra announced Wednesday afternoon that repairs are expected to be completed midday Thursday, but delays will continue through the Thursday morning rush hour. The UP facility is described as a “nerve center controlling all the trains in the area.”

An electrical shortage in a piece of Union Pacific Railroad equipment caused the Tuesday fire at a facility near 25th Avenue in Melrose Park, causing massive delays for UP/West riders that morning.

All trains on the UP lines in the area, including 60 Metra UP/West lines and freight traffic will have to stop, get permission to proceed and then travel at restricted speeds through a two-mile area until repairs are complete, Metra said.

Most inbound and outbound trains should depart on time, but may incur delays of up to 30 minutes until the Thursday afternoon rush hour. Departures later in the rush hour could be delayed because of earlier trains.

The following trains will also be canceled Wednesday evening:

• No. 43, departing Ogilvie at 4:17 p.m.;
• No. 59, departing Ogilvie at 5:46 p.m.;
• and No. 60, arriving at Ogilvie at 6:54 pm.

Also Wednesday evening, the No. 41, departing Ogilvie at 4:11 p.m., and the No. 57, departing Ogilvie at 5:42 p.m. will make extra stops at Melrose Park and Maywood, Metra said. The No. 45, departing Ogilvie at 4:35 p.m., and the No. 61, departing Ogilvie at 6:10 p.m., will make extra stops at Bellwood and Berkeley.

Thursday morning, the No. 17, departing Ogilvie at 6:57 a.m., and the No. 28, arriving at Ogilvie at 8:10 a.m., will not operate. Passengers who normally board the No. 28 at Berkeley, Bellwood, Melrose Park, and Maywood can take the No. 34, arriving at Ogilvie at 8:37 a.m. The No. 32, arriving at Ogilvie at 8:23 a.m., will also make extra stops at River Forest and Oak Park.