Passengers rescued after storms knock trees onto CTA Yellow Line tracks

Updated 2 hours ago
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Passengers on the CTA Yellow Line had to be rescued after part of a tree fell on the tracks during Thursday night's storms.

The Evanston Fire Department said it happened just before midnight. Multiple passengers had to be rescued and helped off the train down a steep slope to safety.

People said crews had to use a chainsaw to create a pathway for passengers to walk down, because there was no way out.

"All of a sudden, train stops, half the lights go out. I'm like, 'Oh, something happened didn't it?' passenger Isaih said. "They actually chopped down with a bunch of saws, the actual pathway through the forest and like you said, they had a couple of ropes and we were just instructed to hold the ropes and it was a very steep elevation at that spot and we just took the rope and went all the way down."

The Yellow Line resumed service Friday morning.



The torrential rain and high winds also brought down trees in Elmhurst where a massive branch ripped from its side, crashing down and partially hitting a neighbor's home.

In St. Charles, a tree fell onto an elderly couple's home. It sounds like the couple is OK after having to be rescued by firefighters there.

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