High winds blow over seven rail cars on freight train
BY LEEANN SHELTON Staff Reporter September 18, 2013 10:10PM
Strong winds from a thunderstorm blew over seven cars of a Union-Pacific freight train Wednesday night on the West Side, briefly halting nearby Metra trains.
About 8:30 p.m., the heavy winds blew the rail cars onto their sides near Kedzie Avenue, railroad spokesman Mark Davis said.
The derailment happened on a branch line away from the Metra tracks, Davis said.
But the incident prompted Metra to temporarily stop Union-Pacific/West line service, the commuter rail agency’s website said. As of 10 p.m., Metra trains were moving again but were delayed 20 to 70 minutes.
No one on the freight train was hurt and crews are working to right the cars Wednesday night, Davis said. Each car was carrying two ocean-going containers of consumer goods.
