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Man Electrocuted On CTA Blue Line Tracks

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man was electrocuted early Wednesday on the CTA Blue Line tracks in the Logan Square neighborhood, and police do not know who he was and how he got there.

The man was discovered lying o the third rail at the California Avenue station around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, police said. A Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman said the man touched the third rail on the southeast-bound tracks.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said electrocution was the primary cause of his death.

The power to the Blue Line was shut down for over an hour, and shuttle buses were placed into service between the Belmont and Grand Avenue Blue Line stations.

A commuter told CBS 2 what it was like on one of the delayed trains.

"The train engineer actually came on the overhead and told us that there had been a problem at the California stop, and we were to hang tight while they figured things out," he said. "A few minutes later, he told us there was a medical emergency, and that's all we knew for a little while."

Engineers opened the train windows to keep commuters cool. Police are conducting a death investigation, and there is no word on whether they suspect foul play.

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