The cause hasn’t been determined yet for a South Shore Line train’s slow-speed derailment Tuesday evening, the railroad’s head said Thursday.
Michael Noland, the South Shore Line’s president and general manager, said the Federal Railroad Administration, the Chicago-area Metra commuter service, and the South Shore are looking into the mishap that tied up South Shore service for hours.
The conditions of the track and the train’s wheels, along with the train’s speed, are being examined.
Metra owns the 14 miles of track, plus the stations, that the South Shore uses in Chicago.
The South Shore train derailed Tuesday afternoon when it was crossing a switch between tracks as it approached Millennium Station, the end of the line.
That was the worst possible site for the derailment, Noland said, because it trapped 18 South Shore cars at Millennium as they prepared for the evening rush hour.
“We worked 24 hours straight, along with Metra, to get our equipment out of there and to restore our service,” Noland said.
South Shore trains began running from Millennium station about 8 p.m. Tuesday, the South Shore said in a news release.
Regular service resumed Wednesday, though with fewer cars. Noland said two trains Wednesday had “a little” overcrowding.
Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.