Metra derailment delays MD-North, MD-West, North Central lines

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A minor derailment Monday afternoon led to major delays on three Metra lines. It was a very slow-moving evening commute for Metra riders.

"Definitely not the way I wanted to spend my evening. Stuck at a train station," said Ashwin Jacob, a commuter.

In the middle of the afternoon rush, outbound Milwaukee North Central Service train #107 derailed in the 1800 block of North Lawndale on its way to Antioch.

The derailment happened on top of the switch where the Milwaukee West and Milwaukee North lines separate. Luckily, the train was traveling slowly and no one was hurt. But passengers on the inbound train on the other tracks didn't know what to expect.

"There was a large, loud thump noise. And I had saw the train kind of bump up in the air, and it had a loud screeching noise and the train had kind of fell over on its side. It was kind of scary cause I didn't know if it was going to hit us or not," said Patrick Ryan, a witness.

By 6 p.m., part of the train was towed to Western Avenue, where passengers were dropped off to board another outbound train.

Later Monday night, workers brought in a crane to lift up the derailed train car and clear the tracks before workers could begin repairing them.

The Milwaukee District North Line, North Central Service and Milwaukee District West Line were all affected, badly interrupting the evening rush.

"I was in a hurry to catch this train and it's a disappointment that it's late and we don't know when it will come," said Julia Ratovsky, a commuter.

Metra officials said they hope to have the tracks cleared for normal operations for the Tuesday morning commute.

For the latest delays and service information, visit the Metra website.