Brown Line riders should expect delays, and service has been suspended on a portion of the Brown Line.
The accident is in the 4600-block of N. Kedzie and happened around 3:15 p.m. The CTA reported Friday afternoon that service on the Brown Line had been temporarily suspended between Kimball and Western. Service had been suspended through Southport earlier, but as of about 5 p.m., the CTA said via Twitter that service had been extended to Western, at which point shuttle buses would be provided to Kimball.
"Officers from the 17th District were in a chase, one officer was on foot, partner was in the squad car; the chase went across the tracks here on Kedzie; the officer in the squad car tried to get across the tracks to assist her partner; a CTA train was coming at that point westbound on the tracks, and the officer's car and the train obviously collided," said Chicago Police Deputy Chief John Escalante.
The CTA says that preliminary reports indicate crossing gates were down for two trains which were about to go through the intersection, one Loop-bound and one Kimball-bound, and after the Loop-bound train cleared the crossing, the vehicle went around the gates and made contact with the Kimball-bound train.
The driver of the car, reportedly a female officer, was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital. According to the Chicago Fire Department, her condition is stable, and officials say she is "doing well."
The engineer on the CTA train was examined by paramedics on the scene and, according to the fire department, was transported to a hospital in good condition. The engineer's injuries were reportedly minor.
Officials say the train is believed to have partially derailed and heavy equipment may be needed to put it back onto the tracks. Crews were able to remove the damaged squad car by about 6 p.m.
