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Tag Archives: Amtrak
No injuries reported in Amtrak derailment south of Union Station
(CHICAGO) No injuries were reported when an Amtrak train derailed Monday morning in the South Loop.
The Lake Shore Limited trains 49 and 449 — which began in Boston and in New York City before combining in Rensselaer, N.Y. — were an hour behind schedule coming into Union Station when the derailment happened, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“As the train was moving from track to track, three of the 11 cars on the train lost contact with the track” around 10:30 a.m., Magliari said. The cause of the derailment wasn’t immediately known.
The 197-passenger train was stopped immediately and passengers in the three cars that derailed were moved to the front of the train and brought into the station before noon along with the other passengers, he said.
“We will be working both internally and with the regulatory agencies to explain what happened,” Magliari said.
It was the second derailment involving an Amtrak passenger train in four days. An Amtrak train derailed and sideswiped a New Jersey commuter train at New York City’s Penn Station on Friday. That incident caused only minor injuries.
No weapon found after man shot by Amtrak cop near Union Station
(CHICAGO) An on-duty Amtrak police officer — apparently responding to a robbery — shot a man Wednesday night about a block south of Union Station in the West Loop.
But as of Thursday afternoon, Chicago Police, the agency leading the criminal investigation of the incident, had not found a weapon belonging to the man, said CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
The officer opened fire about 8:45 p.m. near the intersection of Van Buren and Canal streets, striking the 25-year-old man in the left shoulder, according to Chicago Police.
He was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, the Chicago Fire Department said.
A law enforcement source said the officer opened fire while responding to a robbery and was not hurt. Police said money and narcotics were recovered from the man at the scene.
Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds confirmed in an email that a police officer for the rail agency was involved in the shooting, but did not release more details. She said the investigation would be led by Chicago Police.
The shooting occurred in the middle of the block on the east side of Canal, which was blocked to foot and vehicle traffic between Jackson and Van Buren, where about 15 law enforcement officers congregated.
The investigation was ongoing Thursday morning and no further details were available, police said.
© Copyright 2017 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
Concrete on Union Station falls, hits passenger
As of 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday, tracks #9 and #11 continue to be out of service through the morning commute. Track #13 has been re-opened and is back in service.
Amtrak, the organization that runs Union Station operations, is working to restore tracks #9 and #11.
Milwaukee West, Milwaukee North and North Central service are affected.
For comments from Kirk Dillard, Chairman of the Regional Transit Authority, on the Big John Howell and Ray Stevens show from Wednesday morning, click here.
Union Station is dangerous. The place is falling apart in chunks, showering debris on commuters hurrying through its dim, decaying bowels.
Source: Steinberg: Union Station falling down on commuters’ heads | Chicago Sun-Times
WLS-AM 890 contribution by Jen DeSalvo
Suit: City owes Amtrak, Union Station more than $500,000 for viaduct repairs
(CHICAGO) The City of Chicago welshed on its obligation to maintain the Canal Street Viaduct near Union Station, costing the commuting hub and Amtrak more than $500,000 to inspect the area and remove broken concrete, a new lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court by the parent companies of Amtrak and Union Station and alleges that the city assumed responsibility for maintaining the viaduct in 1980.
“The City has failed to properly maintain the Canal Street Viaduct, leading to spalling concrete on its undersurfaces,” the suit stated.
Union Station was responsible for the upkeep from 1914 until 1980 when train station and city entered into a new agreement that shifted responsibility to the city, the suit stated.
Though the suit states the city’s failure to maintain the viaduct has been “ongoing” since 1980, Amtrak and Union Station only began paying for inspections and repairs in June 2013, according to the suit.
In the nearly two years since, Amtrak and Union Station have spent more than $514,000 on upkeep, repairs and inspections, the suit stated.
The broken concrete has “the potential to put at risk the safety and health of the workers and general public using the station areas underneath the viaduct,” the suit alleged.
A spokesman for the city’s Law Department did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.
The three-count suit alleges breach of contract and negligence and seeks to recoup the $514,000 spent by Amtrak and Union Station.
