Chicago

Metra Train Derails Following Crash With Semi on Chicago's South Side

Several trains were canceled on Friday evening as a result of the derailment

Both inbound and outbound trains on Metra’s SouthWest Service were halted for hours on Friday following a train derailment on Chicago’s South Side, Metra confirmed.

Metra train #830, which was headed to Chicago’s Union Station, derailed following a crash with a truck on Friday afternoon in the 2500 block of W. Columbus Ave., Metra wrote on Twitter.

"I heard the horn, I was listening like 'man they're really blowing the horn,' then I heard 'boom,' a big crash," one witness said.

Several trains were canceled on Friday evening as a result of the derailment. 

Dozens of crews worked for hours to lift the train back onto the track, and remove the damaged semi. 

"The trailer got stuck, and the driver couldn't move it forward or backward," said Matt Simmons, owner of AMJ Towing. "So the driver then aborted his truck, got out, and then the train made contact." 

Although no one was injured, the danger wasn't over after passengers evacauted.

"It's very intense," Simmons said. "There's a lot of safety involved with cables that could break. People could get hurt. People could get killed." 

Crews expected to be finished at the scene by late Friday night. 

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