CHICAGO — Commuters experienced delays on the CTA Brown Line on Thursday morning due to a cracked rail caused by the recent extreme cold. Officials suspended the train service on the North Side intermittently, prompting alternative transit measures.
Affected areas included the span of the Brown Line from Kimball to Southport, which, according to a CBS News report, saw shuttle buses deployed to bridge the gap in service. The rail fracture, induced apparently by subzero temperatures, forced the trains to operate solely between Southport and the Loop for about one hour during the morning rush.
CTA officials were quick to address the disruption. "The cracked rail was likely caused by the cold,” CTA spokesperson Manny Gonzalez told Chicago Sun-Times, adding that "They did make the repair" shortly afterward. Full service was restored during the same morning as the repair crew finished their work.
During the service interruption, CTA advised commuters to consider other services, such as the nearby #81 Lawrence and #82 Kimball buses, which were operating normally today, the Chicago Sun-Times noted.
