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CHICAGO — A significant disruption hit Chicago’s North Side on Thursday evening when a CTA Yellow Line train derailed, bringing train services to a halt for several lines, according to officials.
As a result of the derailment, passengers experienced a lengthy wait of over an hour before they could disembark at the Howard stop, where shuttle buses were stationed to assist with their continued travel.
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The incident affected the Red, Yellow, and Purple line services in the vicinity of the Howard Street station located in Rogers Park. This caused considerable inconvenience for commuters during the busy Thursday evening rush.
The derailment threw a wrench into the evening plans of many, leaving the city’s transit system in disarray. Commuters like Grace McGarel, who was aboard a Purple Line train at the time, described the unsettling experience. “I was taking the Purple Line home from work when our train started jolting, and then we came to a stop,” she recounted. “The conductor informed us that another train in front had derailed.”
“I was taking the purple line home from work and our train started jolting and then we came to a stop,” impacted commuter Grace McGarel said. “The conductor came on and said another train in front of us had been derailed.”
CTA says the train derailed as it approached the Howard Station in Rogers Park.
“Someone told us it was completely shut down for mechanical issues so we had to take the shuttle bus to get all the way here,” impacted commuter Crystal Brandy said. “It’s been a very long day and we just want to get home.”
Video showed passengers being evacuated from two train cars that appeared to have shifted off the tracks.
“The two cars were split one was over here and then the part where it connected was over here not on the track,” McGarel said.
McGarel says she and other passengers aboard a Purple Line train behind the derailed train waited for an hour and a half before the train started moving again.
Shuttle buses were provided to assist affected passengers on the Red Line between Howard and Thorndale, and on the Yellow and Purple lines from Howard to Skokie and Linden.
“We’re having a tough time trying to find our way home,” impacted commuter Julie Shroka said.
Chicago fire officials said there were no injuries.
It’s still unclear what caused the train to come off the tracks.
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