Delayed Red, Purple Line service resumes after track fire near Addison Station: officials
CTA Red and Purple Line trains began running again with delays Monday evening after a track fire near the CTA’s Addison station in Lakeview forced service to halt for more than three hours, officials said.
The fire broke out and disrupted service shortly before 3 p.m., cutting off Red Line service north of the Belmont Station and suspending Purple Line trains toward the Loop, according to a CTA advisory. At about 6:30 Monday evening, the agency announced Red Line trains were running with minor delays and Purple Line trains were running with significant delays.
Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said that some of the rail ties and a wooden walkway caught fire, stopping a train. One car was removed from the tracks while firefighters put the blaze out, he said.
Langford said he didn’t know the cause of the fire but that the most common sources are discarded cigarettes or a spark from a train car.
A CTA representative said it was not yet clear when trains would start running again on the affected parts of the line.
