freight derailment interrupting Milwaukee West (Mon 6 Mar)

I've heard in the last hour that there has been a freight derailment near tower B-12 on the Milwaukee West line. Some CP freights, which normally use a UP line from tower A-20 to the Bensenville yard, are remaining on the CP C&M line (which is used by Metra Milwaukee North trains) to tower A-5 and then going west. The electronic message board in my neighborhood Milwaukee North station states that they are trying to establish a bus bridge for the Milwaukee West trains.

In addition to the extra traffic on the north line due to the derailment, a grinding train has been working overnight on the north line this weekend. On Saturday they worked outbound from Chicago on Track 1 (the usual northbound [railroad west] track), Sunday they worked the Fox Lake sub, and tonight (Monday) they are working back toward Chicago on Track 2.

Metra is confirming the incident on its web site:

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN DELAYS
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2255, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE BIG TIMBER AT 11:59 P.M., DEPARTED CHICAGO UNION STATION APPROXIMATELY 50 MINUTES, DUE TO A FREIGHT TRAIN DERAILMENT WITH A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL NEAR THE RIVER GROVE STATION.

PASSENGERS TRAVELING OUTBOUND TO BIG TIMBER AND TRAVELING INBOUND TO CHICAGO UNION STATION WILL BE BUSSED BETWEEN THE RIVER GROVE STATION AND THE BENSENVILLE STATION TO AWAITING TRAINS.

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2257, SCHEDULED TO DEPART CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 12:40 A.M., WILL BE DEPARTING DOWNTOWN ON TIME, HOWEVER THIS TRAIN WILL INCUR SOME DELAY ENROUTE, DUE TO THE BUSSING BETWEEN RIVER GROVE STATION AND THE BENSENVILLE STATION. WE WILL UPDATE INFORMATION AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

6:27 A.M. update:

The equipment for trains 2200, 2202 and 2204 is sitting at Elgin to await there scheduled second turn. Train 2206 reported out of Schaumburg at 6:13 A.M.; train 2208 called an approach to West Roselle at 06:23.

Its funny. I rode 2220 in this morning (3/07) and it was on time. The derailed cars were sitting on the old Soo line south of the diamonds. The tank cars looked kinda beat but otherwise all looked well.

I was on 2220 this morning as well. Seemed a little bit pokier than usual overall, or maybe it was just me. Anyway, yeah, it got downtown only a couple of minutes down, good enough to count as on-time.