Red Line Rerouted After Person Is Hit, Killed By Train At Harrison
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Red Line trains were halted and then rerouted Thursday afternoon after someone was hit and killed by a train at the Harrison stop.
Police said at 4:14 p.m., a man of about 18 was struck by an approaching train and suffered head trauma. He was pronounced dead, police said. Early Friday morning, officials determined the victim was 13 years old.
The cause of the man's death will be determined by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office, but sources said it appeared the victim's injuries were self-inflicted.
The Red Line was rerouted to the Loop 'L' tracks – and the elevated Brown Line tracks on the North Side and Green Line tracks on the south – between Fullerton and Cermak-Chinatown, the Chicago Transit Authority said.
Red Line trains stopped at Armitage, Sedgwick, Chicago/Franklin, Merchandise Mart, Clark/Lake, State/Lake, Washington/Wabash, Adams/Wabash, and elevated Roosevelt stops during the afternoon rush, the CTA said.
By 6 p.m., southbound Red Line trains were running in the subway tunnel again, but northbound trains were still running on the elevated lines. Service was finally back to normal by about 6:30 p.m.
Purple Line Express service between the Loop and Howard was also suspended to relieve congestion due to the Clybourn/Division/State Street subway being taken out of service for the Red Line.
Purple Line trains were only available between Howard and Linden-Wilmette late Thursday afternoon. Normal service had resumed by 7 p.m., though with major residual delays.
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On top of everything else, Loop 'L' trains were also disrupted Thursday evening after a train ran into a problem with its doors at State/Lake. CBS 2 Producer Todd Feurer reported platforms and trains were jam-packed and the Brown, Green, Pink, and Orange lines were all delayed.
On the South Side, Red Line trains were also disrupted Thursday evening because of a person on the tracks near Sox-35th.
