Amtrak computer glitch ties up morning Metra trains at Union Station

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Metra trains entering and leaving Union Station were extremely delayed during the Friday morning rush due to Amtrak "computer signaling problems" on the north and south sides of the station, according to Metra.

Around 6:45 a.m., the glitch halted Metra trains on the Milwaukee District-North, North Central Service, BNSF, Milwaukee District-West, SouthWest Service and Heritage Corridor lines, the transit agency said. About a half hour later, trains were slowly being let into and out of the station via manual controls, which caused significant delays, Metra said.

Amtrak computers began coming back online around 7:55 a.m., but Metra said it still had to manually switch trains for some time and delays of about an hour persisted. Trains were back on schedule by 11:30 a.m.

Metra urged riders to monitor its website.

About 50,000 commuters use the 6 train lines affected during the morning rush each day.