Train service suspended on South Shore Line after derailment near East Chicago
By Darius Johnson
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — Commuter train service on the South Shore Line was suspended Thursday after a derailment, leaving riders scrambling for another way to get to work.
South Shore Line officials said the freight train derailment took place around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the South Shore Line along the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) in East Chicago.
The freight train car were tipped and leaning and appeared to be only partially on the tracks.
The derailment resulted in a power outage, which shut down service on the South Shore Line for thousands of commuters. The South Shore Line runs electric trains between downtown Chicago and Indiana, extending as far east as South Bend.
As of 11 a.m., crews were working to replace damaged fiber optic cables that provide communication on the South Shore Line’s Monon and Lakeshore routes.
The new Monon Corridor line runs through Hammond and south to Munster. The Lakeshore Line runs east through Gary, Beverly Shores, and Michigan City before finally terminating at South Bend International Airport. Both lines run along the Metra Electric District tracks, formerly the Illinois Central, from downtown Chicago through the city’s South Side.
Crews were also working to repair the damaged freight train cars, and repair significant damage on the overhead power system.
Officials said they hoped to restore service on the Monon Line on Thursday afternoon. They are aiming to restore Lakeshore Line service as soon as Friday, but passengers will be bused between the Miller station in Gary and Hegewisch station in Chicago until the overhead wires are repaired.
It was not immediately learned whether the derailment was related in any way to the severe weather Wednesday night.
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