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Discussion related to commuter rail and rapid transit operations in the Chicago area including the South Shore Line, Metra Rail, and Chicago Transit Authority.

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 #1240375  by Amtrak7
 
Busing between Michigan City & South Bend tomorrow and Tuesday due to the extreme cold. Guess NICTD doesn't want to risk non-CT catenary failing.
 #1240391  by justalurker66
 
A train being stranded without power east of Michigan City would not be a good thing. There is a lot of mileage where getting to the nearest crossing for a rescue would be a challenge ... and with feet of snow to dig through it is a major risk. West of Michigan City there is less sections of track where a rescue could not be mounted. A high of -1 in South Bend, -13 in Hammond predicted for tomorrow. I would not expect a smooth day. It should get back up to 17 degrees by Wednesday.
 #1240509  by Amtrak7
 
NICTD is suspended. Metra's site is not showing alerts for me.
 #1240516  by ohioriverrailway
 
NICTD posted that they've cancelled all service for today due to impassible parking lots and general weather conditions.
Any of you guys want to fire up the dig sled and take some pictures to post??
 #1240596  by BrianLM007
 
Northwest Indiana is pretty much shut down today with I-94 and I-65 closed and Lake and Porter counties still under a state of emergency...I'd have to think the Carroll Ave. yard is a mess right now...the National Guard have been deployed to help out too.
 #1240642  by byte
 
As if the weather on its own wasn't problematic enough: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectio ... id=9383137
A Metra train struck a bumping post while pulling into the LaSalle Street station Monday morning. Five people were taken to the hospital. Four are in good condition, the fifth is in fair condition.
 #1240710  by doepack
 
In Geneva-sub land, all is still. No traffic of any kind for the last two hours. A freight train has been left stranded in the cold on the center track in the staging area at Wheaton, waiting for a crew and warmer temperatures. Only spotty radio chatter in between long stretches of silence, as UP has waved the white flag and bowed down to the ice warriors...
A Metra train struck a bumping post while pulling into the LaSalle Street station Monday morning. Five people were taken to the hospital. Four are in good condition, the fifth is in fair condition.
Whoa. Rookie engineer, maybe?
 #1240744  by Tadman
 
Any word if BNSF is running a reduced schedule tomorrow? I have an afternoon meeting out in the burbs.
 #1240765  by ryanch
 
Tadman wrote:Any word if BNSF is running a reduced schedule tomorrow? I have an afternoon meeting out in the burbs.
Trib says there could be similar delays. However, by 1:00 pm is supposed to be 13 degrees warmer than today, with 5-8 mph less wind to blow powder on the tracks. And they've got a night to plan for what to do. I'd expect a few planned annulments which will allow a different switching pattern, letting enough trains through.

One thing I was surprised by this morning - on UP N/NW, they seemed to follow an every-other-train pattern, allowing a North train south, then a NW, then a North. Which required switching each time. Might it not have been better to allow 3 NW, then 3 North? I don't know - maybe it is best to keep switching it before it locks up again. Not saying it was the wrong thing - just that it surprised me.
 #1240774  by wilmette2008
 
In Kenosha sub land A Metra train ran out of fuel at the Wilmette Depot and needed to be shoved into Ogilivie by the train fallowing it. From the radio chatter it sounded like the cold weather made the coupling operation difficult
 #1240869  by ohioriverrailway
 
wilmette2008 wrote:In Kenosha sub land A Metra train ran out of fuel at the Wilmette Depot and needed to be shoved into Ogilivie by the train fallowing it. From the radio chatter it sounded like the cold weather made the coupling operation difficult
That's an understatement. The air hoses and electrical cables are anything but flexible when its this cold.
 #1248765  by Backshophoss
 
Been listening to the WBBM stream,understand a power problem and a derailment near Howard has killed off Yellow line service,
and Red line service is a bit disrupted. Bustition has been provided for the Yellow line.
 #1316254  by sipes23
 
Metra is bustituting from Edison Park to Dee Road. Having driven on the roads between the two at rush hour, it's not a trip I'd care to make.
Due to a gas leak near the Park Ridge Depot, bussing will be provided between Dee Road to Edison Park for inbound or outbound trains. Metra passengers can also utilize the CTA Blue Line which is honoring Metra tickets. Once again, the Park Ridge depot is closed until further notice, inbound and outbound trains will not stop at Park Ridge. Metra passengers should board their train from Dee Road or Edison Park.
 #1320719  by doepack
 
Metra engine off the rails at A-5, initial reports indicate it was leading NCS train 109. Judging from the photo, it appears the derailment occurred right in the middle of the newly reconfigured interlocking, between A-5 and B-6; meaning that both MD-N tracks are blocked, with no Metra or Amtrak service. Meanwhile, NCS and MD-W trains will see limited service at best through the evening...
 #1320727  by lstone19
 
It was NCS 107 (3:00pm departure). Engine 425 leaning right about 10 to 15 degrees completely off the rails. I'm guessing it picked the crossing with MD-N track 2 (movable point frogs in that crossing).

I took 2227 (4:20 departure) home. Slow going - pulled on time but only went a car length to end of platform before sitting 10 minutes. Went out Main 3 to Galewood, then 2 to B-17 (no idea why we held 2 that far), finally crossing to 1. 33 late arriving Roselle. Slow slog all the way to B-12 as if we were following something but never figured out what. I thought we might be following a delayed 2225 but never saw it at Franklin Park where it normally turns back to deadhead (becomes 2241 which was annulled so maybe they just sent it on to Elgin empty ahead of us).

They claim to be running limited MD-N service and I see Amtrak 338 finally made it in 1:35 late and 339 (the Commuter Hiawatha) out 1:20 late. I'm guessing the MD-N trains are going around the curve, then reversing via the NW leg of the wye and then wrong-end leading up the line (but I saw no evidence that's what they were doing when 2227 went through).
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