Commuters suffered through a chaotic morning as three Metra lines were bogged down by significant delays Thursday, thanks to an Amtrak signal fiasco at Union Station. The affected lines included the Milwaukee District North, North Central Service, and Union Pacific Northwest lines, with trains brought to a standstill in the vicinity of Union Station, reported Metra’s service alerts.
A Metra spokesperson described the situation as having "significant" delays. Amtrak, the party responsible for the signal issue, has remained mum on the cause of the disruption, offering no immediate explanation when pressed for details, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
In a tragic turn of events, overlapping with the signal complications, a high school student from Barrington High School was tragically killed after being struck by a Metra Union Pacific Northwest train. The accident, which occurred near Barrington around 7:45 a.m., added to the rail chaos, halting inbound and outbound service for roughly two hours, CBS Chicago reported. Dr. Craig Winelman, District 220 Superintendent, relayed his condolences to the community, stating, "It is with great sadness that I share with you the tragic news of the passing of one of our Barrington High School students," and noting that the student was fatally hit while en route to school.
Service near Barrington eventually resumed around 9:45 a.m. however, Metra cautioned that riders on the line could still expect extensive delays. The spillover effect of the morning's interruptions and the heart-wrenching accident were felt across the rail network with additional disruptions on the Milwaukee District-West and North Central Service lines. Metra advised travelers to keep an eye on their website for the latest updates and service changes as the day progressed.
