sw4400 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 1/28/14 6:47 Rail Line(s) Affected: Brown, Purple Level Of Service Interruption: Minor Delays Information: Loop-bound and Linden-bound trains are operating with delays after an earlier mechanical problems on a train at Sedgwick. Trains are moving at this time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 1/29/14 12:17a Construction Alert For 1/29/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 1/30/14 1:09a Construction Alert For 1/30/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 1/31/14 1:36a Construction Alert For 1/31/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 2/1/14 1:05a ***Late-Night Rail Alert*** Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: Minor Delays Information: Howard-bound trains are operating with residual delays after earlier mechanical delays at Harrison. Service is being restored... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 2/1/14 1:05a ***Late-Night Rail Alert*** Rail Line(s) Affected: Orange Level Of Service Interruption: Minor Delays Information: Trains are standing near Ashland due to mechanical problems on the tracks. Personnel are working to restore service. Alternate Service: Passengers can use the #62 Archer bus as an alternate to rail service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 2/1/14 2:05a ***Late-Night Rail Alert*** Rail Line(s) Affected: Blue Level Of Service Interruption: Minor Delays Information: Forest Park-bound trains are operating with delays due to earlier mechanical problems near Jefferson Park. Trains are moving at this time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 2/2/14 12:58a Upcoming Rail Alert for 2/2/14 @ 5a until 7p Rail Line(s) Affected: Brown Level Of Service Interruption: Minor Delays Information: Trains in both directions will operate on the same track between Sedgwick and Fullerton. 5a-11:30a: Board/Exit all trains on the Kimball-bound platform at the Armitage station 11:30a-7p: Board/Exit all trains on the Loop-bound platform at the Armitage station This is due to structural improvements to remove slow zones and improve rail service on the Brown Line as part of the Ravenswood Connector Rehabilitation Project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 2/2/14 10:56a Rail Line(s) Affected: Green, Orange Level Of Service Interruption: Significant Delays Information: Green and Orange Line trains are operating with delays after an earlier signal problem near Roosevelt. Trains are moving at this time... Alternate Service: #62 Archer and #29 State buses remain alternates to rail service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 2/3/14 12:54a Construction Alert For 2/3/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 2/3/14 11:57p Construction Alert For 2/4/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 2/4/14 6:56p Rail Line(s) Affected: Brown Level Of Service Interruption: Significant Delays Information: Trains are operating with residual delays after earlier mechanical problems on the tracks near Kedzie. Trains are moving at this time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 2/4/14 11:48p Construction Alert For 2/5/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 2/5/14 10:22p Rail Line(s) Affected: Yellow Level Of Service Interruption: Minor Delays Information: Yellow Line trains are operating with residual delays after earlier mechanical problems near Oakton. Trains are moving at this time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 2/6/14 11:43p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: Significant Delays Information: Trains are experiencing delays due to a cracked rail. Trains are operating on a single track between 79th and 87th. Board/Exit all trains on the Howard-bound side of the platform at 79th. Alternate Service: Shuttle Buses are available to provide connecting service between the affected area(s). Passengers can also use the #29 State Bus as an alternate to rail service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 2/6/14 11:49p Construction Alert For 2/7/14 @ 10:50a until 2:45p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: -- Information: Howard-bound trains will not stop at Addison. Service to Addison: Take a Howard-bound train to Sheridan and transfer to a 95th-bound train Service from Addison: Take a 95th-bound train to Belmont and transfer to a Howard-bound train This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KedziePink Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 2/6/14 11:43p Rail Line(s) Affected: Red Level Of Service Interruption: Significant Delays Information: Trains are experiencing delays due to a cracked rail. Trains are operating on a single track between 79th and 87th. Board/Exit all trains on the Howard-bound side of the platform at 79th. Alternate Service: Shuttle Buses are available to provide connecting service between the affected area(s). Passengers can also use the #29 State Bus as an alternate to rail service.The rail is cracking already? I'm hoping there's an external factor involved, and it's not defective or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 The rail is cracking already? I'm hoping there's an external factor involved, and it's not defective or something. The possibility is there, but with the polar vortexes we've been having lately, we probably won't know if this is the case unless it occurs on days where the temps are above freezing, but not days of extreme heat, which is reported to warp rails. I think on days of extreme heat, the CTA orders trains to run at reduced speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artthouwill Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 This evening there was a power outage at Howard. Major delays on the Red and Purple Lines with service suspended on the Yellow Line. Alternate service provided on the 97 Skokie.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 The rail is cracking already? I'm hoping there's an external factor involved, and it's not defective or something. The possibility is there, but with the polar vortexes we've been having lately, we probably won't know if this is the case unless it occurs on days where the temps are above freezing, but not days of extreme heat, which is reported to warp rails. I think on days of extreme heat, the CTA orders trains to run at reduced speeds. Yes the extremes of this winter could be playing a role here. This really has been an extreme winter not just in snowfall but also also in terms of the very cold temps caused by the recent polar vortices that have been generating extremely cold temperatures that we haven't really been seeing for a few decades in terms of how regular they've been and their duration. We already have been seeing an explosion in potholes because of the unusually regular big swings in temps toward extreme cold ranges for days at a time, so who's to say what effect there is on the rails regardless of age? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 This evening there was a power outage at Howard. Major delays on the Red and Purple Lines with service suspended on the Yellow Line. Alternate service provided on the 97 Skokie.. Yeah i know, I was right in the middle of it. First the power went out to the interlocking north of Howard, they lined up NB Purple line trains on tracks 3 & 4 and Howard trains were switched back from north to south on track 1. This initially started out as a power outage to the interlocking which means the only way to use the switches would be to operate them manually. So trains sat from 5:10 to about 5:45 at Howard. The only train movement during those about 35-40 minutes were two Red line trains switched south. At 5:45 purple line trains were allowed to move, (yellow line trains had been suspended even though two yellow line trains were stuck on the incline to Howard. ) So they moved about 4-5 Nb trains through the manually ran interlocking. When it came time for the 5th or 6th Purple line, they had a derailment with the 5th car. That just killed Purple line operations, they had to cut power at least up to Main, where a Nb and SB were stuck with no power. People were allowed to exit the train. The Neighborhood around Howard was a zoo of CFD trucks. About 7-8 parked on the street north of Howard Shop. 3 batallion chiefs (CFD) kept going up and down Howard, like they were lost and they finally turned and went up towards Howard shop. SB, the Red line was running pretty good. NB it was a nightmare, many trains were stuck at stations, waiting for trains ahead. South of Wilson it was standing room only. They had started turning trains from north to south at Belmont, I guess they were worried about the south side. One such train was standing room only at Belmont and everyone was forced off the train because it was being turned too. (They did this about every 4th train) Belmont was then about six deep with passengers on the platform and the follower was standing room only, so it would be a frustrating night for them. Probably the worst place to be was on the yellow line trains that were stranded or on the derailed purple line train. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted February 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 artthouwill and BusHunter, thanks for the updates on the power outage and derailment at Howard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chgofan78 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Yeah i know, I was right in the middle of it. First the power went out to the interlocking north of Howard, they lined up NB Purple line trains on tracks 3 & 4 and Howard trains were switched back from north to south on track 1. This initially started out as a power outage to the interlocking which means the only way to use the switches would be to operate them manually. So trains sat from 5:10 to about 5:45 at Howard. The only train movement during those about 35-40 minutes were two Red line trains switched south. At 5:45 purple line trains were allowed to move, (yellow line trains had been suspended even though two yellow line trains were stuck on the incline to Howard. ) So they moved about 4-5 Nb trains through the manually ran interlocking. When it came time for the 5th or 6th Purple line, they had a derailment with the 5th car. That just killed Purple line operations, they had to cut power at least up to Main, where a Nb and SB were stuck with no power. People were allowed to exit the train. The Neighborhood around Howard was a zoo of CFD trucks. About 7-8 parked on the street north of Howard Shop. 3 batallion chiefs (CFD) kept going up and down Howard, like they were lost and they finally turned and went up towards Howard shop. SB, the Red line was running pretty good. NB it was a nightmare, many trains were stuck at stations, waiting for trains ahead. South of Wilson it was standing room only. They had started turning trains from north to south at Belmont, I guess they were worried about the south side. One such train was standing room only at Belmont and everyone was forced off the train because it was being turned too. (They did this about every 4th train) Belmont was then about six deep with passengers on the platform and the follower was standing room only, so it would be a frustrating night for them. Probably the worst place to be was on the yellow line trains that were stranded or on the derailed purple line train. I was on one of the two Purple Line trains that were stuck on the incline at Howard. After making it past that point and down the line, they turned us (#516) into an express from Fullerton to Merchandise Mart. After entering the Loop, we were told about the derailment and we may or may not make it at least to Howard. By Sedgwick, we were told that Belmont would be the last stop. That train deadheaded to Howard. Then, switched to a Red Line train that began being stalled at Sheridan, We sat at each station for 10 to 15 minutes before we received the go ahead to proceed to the next station. By Granville, that's when everything was completely halted and we stood the longest before majority of the passengers walked over to Sheridan and boarded a #147 bus. One thing I did see which was strange was while we were standing at Lawrence, a southbound six-car Purple Line train came past on the Red Line tracks and stopped at Lawrence. It had the Purple Line Howard sign and announced it was a Purple Line train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Yeah, I was basically on the north end around Howard. I was on the second Nb purple line train that pulled into track 3 next to that trains leader on track 4, when the power outage started. There was a Red line train stuck on the Howard U track. The purple line leader was the first to proceed. We were forced off the original train to a third purple line nb. Later the train I was on proceeded light Nb. I was on the second train through the soon to be derailed segment. The operator took it real slow and slammed on the brakes at about the 5-6 car, but we made it through. There were 2 Purple lines SB on the elevated section there, the Red line train sitting and the yellow line train sitting all at different levels. That would have made a nice picture, but it was already dark out by 5:45. Anyway we proceeded NB, there was no service all the way to Linden SB. 3 SB's were sitting at the descent into Howard and that was the all the trains SB. Then they released another train SB, which I took south. That went from empty to at capacity at Davis because there was no service there at least for 30-45 minutes. This train would make it to main st. where we were told of the derailment. I walked from Main to Howard down Chicago Av. with about 50-100 people. When I got to Howard, the main thing I noticed SB, was there was a empty red line on track 3, two purple lines stuck on track 4 at Jarvis along with the first Red line train at Jarvis. I passed trains I believe (all at stations) at Loyola, Granville, Berwyn, Argyle, Lawrence, Wilson, Sheridan, Addison and Belmont. So the Belmont to Howard crowd would be waiting for 9 trains to clear the pocket at Howard track 1. I did see a Purple line heading north at Sheridan light and another pull into Belmont with a not in service sign. As far as shuttle buses, the first shuttle bus I saw was when I got to Howard walking. It was going north, but if people were smart they could have rode the #205, which was empty about 5 minutes ahead of it. He had an Optima, to my humor. There was nothing SB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagopcclcar Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 artthouwill, BusHunter, and Chgofan78, I argee....thanks for the updates on the power outage and derailment at Howard. NBC - 5 had their copter up in the air and video from over Howard yard and was on the a.m. news show but the video did not make the news on the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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