South Shore Line Shuts Down: Freight Train Derailment Halts Chicago Commuter Service

Freight Train Derailment Halts South Shore Line Service

Commuters on the South Shore Line faced a complete shutdown of train service Thursday morning after a freight train derailed Wednesday night near East Chicago and Gary Metro stations. The derailment damaged overhead power lines and left thousands of riders scrambling for alternate transportation.

According to Nicole Barker, chief experience and engagement officer with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, the incident occurred just after 8 p.m. CDT Wednesday. An empty South Shore Freight coal train headed westbound derailed near the Gary Metro and East Chicago stations. Several freight cars were affected, and the overhead wire that powers the passenger trains was damaged.

"Safety is the first thing that we tackle, making sure the situation is safe, and power was shut down to that section," Barker said. "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."

Monon Service Restored, Lakeshore Line Still Down

The South Shore Line operates two main routes. The Monon Corridor runs through Hammond and south to Munster. The Lakeshore Line runs east through Gary, Beverly Shores, and Michigan City before terminating at South Bend International Airport. Both lines use the Metra Electric District tracks from downtown Chicago through the city's South Side.

The railroad announced that Monon Corridor service resumed for Thursday afternoon's rush hour. Trains ran as scheduled between Chicago and Munster/Dyer, with a modified evening schedule.

Lakeshore Corridor service remained suspended through Thursday evening. Barker said the railroad was considering replacement bus service between the Miller station in Gary and Hegewisch station in Chicago. No timeline had been finalized.

Crews Repair Damaged Infrastructure

Crews worked through Thursday to repair the damage. They had to replace damaged fiber optic cables that provide communication on the South Shore Line's Monon and Lakeshore routes. They also worked on repairing the overhead power system and the derailed freight train cars.

"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.

Officials did not say what caused the freight train derailment. It was also unclear whether the incident was related to severe weather that hit the region Wednesday night.

Riders were advised to check the Service Updates page at MySouthShoreLine.com for the latest information. Officials warned that residual delays could occur once service fully resumed.