Metra HC trains returning to Joliet after body found on tracks in Bridgeport

Metra is reversing two inbound Heritage Corridor trains after a body was found on the tracks Thursday in Bridgeport on the Southwest Side.

Officers were dispatched at 7:20 a.m. for reports of a person on the railroad tracks near Archer Avenue and Halsted Street, according to Chicago police. They found the person, whose age and gender were not immediately known, dead at the scene.

Metra officials said it is unclear whether the person was hit by a train.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not released details about the fatality. Area Central detectives are conducting a death investigation.

Metra Heritage Corridor trains 916 and 918 were halted after the body was found, spokesman Tom Miller said. Shortly before 9 a.m., he said the transit agency plans to reverse both trains, making all stops from Summit to Joliet to allow passengers to exit at the stations where they boarded and seek alternative transportation.

The tracks could remain blocked for at least another hour while authorities investigate, Miller said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.