South Shore Line riders had their travel plans disrupted, when all service was suspended following a freight train derailment.
It happened just after 8:00 p.m. CDT Wednesday, when an empty South Shore Freight coal train headed westbound derailed near the Gary Metro and East Chicago stations, according to Nicole Barker, chief experience and engagement officer with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. She said several freight cars were affected, and the overhead wire that powers the passenger trains was damaged in the process.
"Safety is the first thing that we tackle, making sure the situation is safe, and power was shut down to that section," Barker explained. "And then, of course, we had about 60 passengers on a train. That was our next step was making sure they all got home safely."
As a result, all South Shore service was suspended Wednesday night and remained shut down for Thursday morning’s rush hour. Barker said crews had to evaluate the track and overhead wires for damage and come up with a cleanup plan.
“We have visuals on the train cars themselves, and usually, we call specialty companies to help us evaluate the safest way to remove the derailed cars off of the track and get them out of the right of way,” Barker said.
Monon Corridor trains were also suspended. While they don’t travel through the area where the derailment actually happened, Barker said part of the track they use was impacted by the subsequent power shutdown.
As of late Thursday morning, Barker said the railroad was looking at possibly lining up replacement bus service and resuming Monon service, but no timeline had been finalized.
She encourages riders to check the Service Updates page at MySouthShoreLine.com.
