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Metra said late Thursday that it was expected that trains will return to normal on Friday morning after a computer crash causing considerable damage to Chicago Union Station all day beginning in the morning and delaying thousands of commuters trying to get home at home in the suburbs.
"The system is now in service to support all Amtrak and Metra train schedules," Metra tweeted around 9 pm. "In addition, Amtrak will have additional crews waiting tomorrow."
"Amtrak has publicly apologized to its own customers, as well as to Metra and its customers, for this outage.The root cause is under investigation," tweeted Metra.
The problem stems from communication problems with the Amtrak automated system, said spokesman Marc Magliari. Crews had to switch to manual control of signals and switches, which "causes delays," he said.
"Since I've been here, about 18 years ago, I have not witnessed a failure of the signal control system of this duration," Magliari said at a press conference after -midday. "We want to make sure we apologize to our customers, Metra customers and others for the inconvenience."
"Safe operation is our priority and we have no choice between operating safely and operating quickly," said Magliari.
The problem arose at 8:35, later transforming into marathons. Trains between Union Station and Western Station were briefly stopped around 9.45am. Frustrated commuters said they sat in wagons for nearly three hours.
"Hey, Metra, when is the rebate available in the event of a failure to provide acceptable levels of service?" BNSF driver Karl Cordes of Naperville asked on Twitter.
It was two hours late and a train ride that lasted two hours and 36 minutes.
"The atmosphere in the car was one of frustration," said Cordes. "Most people in their phones and laptops were trying to work."
Thousands of passengers crammed into the station Thursday night with more passengers per minute, only to be disappointed to learn about the delays.
About 61,000 passengers use six Metra lines that pass through Union Station, according to Metra spokesman Michael Gillis. About 86 Metra trains leave the station after 3:30 pm, most of which are during rush hours. All saw delays of several hours.
Metra operated the Burlington Northern Santa Fe "pick-and-leave" trains, once-and-full trains making all stops between Union Station and Downers Grove Main Street or between Downers Grove Main Street and Aurora. Inbound service was "extremely limited" on the line, Metra's busiest.
In the afternoon, Metra had warned the evening commuters to expect "significant delays and congestion", and said that runners should consider finding another way to to return to their homes in the suburbs.
Kimberly Searcy headed to Union Station for an hour 15:58. BNSF train to Naperville after work. After waiting 40 minutes, she noticed that no train was coming home for hours and that she had been told that the problem could last all night.
"It's ridiculous.This happens often," said Searcy, who was calm despite the circumstances. "I was ready to go home because I'm tired, I'm exhausted, and so it's a bit disappointing." It's almost like he's there. had no options. "
Searcy decided to return to work for a few hours and try her luck later in the evening, but she said that she would resort to the auction service if the problem was not resolved.
But for a runner like Searcy, who already bought an unlimited monthly Metra pass at $ 210.25, options like Uber or Lyft were expensive alternatives. Rising prices, which take effect when the demand for rides is strong, has pushed prices up sharply for trips to the suburbs. A cab ride from Union Station to Naperville Metra Station, usually $ 50, cost up to $ 126 Thursday night.
"It's busy, the rates are much higher than usual," reads Uber on the application.
The Union Pacific Northwest line was further delayed Thursday night because of a vehicle stuck on Edison Park's rails in Chicago, Metra announced via Twitter.
The CTA honored Metra during the evening, but stopped before 7 pm.
People from Union Station have been driven away from the halls and into the Great Hall to avoid overcrowding, Metra announced.
Trains using Ogilvie Transportation Center were not affected by the signaling problem but were more congested.
• The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this report.
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