A Purple Line train derailed around 6 p.m. near the Howard station. It was a minor derailment and no one was hurt, but service on the Purple and Yellow Lines was shut down for hours. Hundreds of passengers were stranded-- some for hours in cold, dark trains.
The CTA said Purple Line trains were running with delays from Howard to Linden as of 9:15 p.m., but some CTA passengers report being on Purple Line trains for more than an hour during the Friday evening commute.
CTA employees directed passengers to shuttle buses to take them from the Howard stop to the Linden stop. No trains were able to pass through the Howard station while crews worked to get the derailed Purple line train back on track. For passengers, it was a long Friday evening commute.
"I'm a little upset. I had somewhere to be, but now it's canceled because I've been on the train forever," said Zehra Khalsi, CTA passenger.
Initially, two trains lost power and were stuck on the tracks. Frustrated passengers were stuck on the train for an hour and a half. Emily Kosborne was riding in a mostly empty car. She snapped pictures of the mostly empty car she was riding in.
"I'm certainly getting frustrated, it'd be great to get an announcement of some sort so I know what to expect," said Emily Kosborne, CTA passenger.
But shortly after power was restored, a Purple Line train somehow came off the rails. That meant further delays for those riding other trains heading in either direction because they shut down rail traffic through the area. That made for an extra-long evening on the train for many passengers.
"It took me usually a 15-minute train ride, and it took me and an hour and 15 minutes," said Breana Gordon, passenger.
Red and Purple Line trains are still experiencing delays as a result of the derailment, transit officials said.
The Yellow Line also remains suspended and there is still a train disabled near the Howard station. The CTA is not able to say when it will all be cleaned up.
