Urgent Alert: Lakeview Fire Disrupts CTA Brown, Purple, and Red Line Services at Belmont Station

CHICAGO (WLS) — A fire beneath a train at the Belmont station in Lakeview caused significant disruption to the Brown Line and Red Line services on Tuesday evening, with the Purple Line also experiencing delays.

Despite the typically crowded nature of the elevated tracks, fortunately, there were no reported injuries. One commuter, Carla Martinez, was traveling north on the Brown Line when the fire occurred.

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“Suddenly, the train halted, and the conductor mentioned there was no estimated time for resumption. About 30 minutes later, he informed us that all power had been cut across the lines, leaving us stationary,” Martinez recounted.

Martinez was accompanied by five other passengers in the train’s last car, positioned just behind the one that stalled at Belmont.

After an hour, firefighters facilitated the safe evacuation of Martinez and her fellow passengers, guiding them down 8-foot ladders to the tracks below, all while ensuring the operation remained orderly despite the lingering scent of smoke.

“About two or three cars, they decided that they would try to see if they could let some others down early, so I went down a slightly longer ladder, and maybe, I didn’t do a good job, because after I got down, they decided they wanted to make us go all the way to the front,” Martinez said.

They then had to trudge carefully to the next exit point down to the street. Water from the fires trucks was everywhere. Neither Martinez nor anyone else were injured.

“It is Chicago… you just take it in stride. A lot of things could’ve been worse. That’s what we decided on the train,” Martinez said.

The CTA tried to get bus shuttles in quickly to replace rail service between Howard and Fullerton on the Red Line and between Kimball and Fullerton on the Brown Line.

The CTA said around 9 p.m. that Brown, Red and Purple trains are running with major delays.

Some trains and platforms may be busier than usual as crews work to restore normal service, the CTA said.