Train service on Metra’s Union Pacific West Line was suspended for several hours Friday due to a police investigation into a rail freight theft in the Austin neighborhood.
A Union Pacific spokesperson said that around 5:55 p.m., railroad officials and Chicago police responded to merchandise thefts at a rail yard near Lake Street and North Lockwood Avenue. “Railway burglaries pose a threat to the safety of the public, our employees and local law enforcement,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said the passenger railroad had to stop running trains on the UP West Line, which provides service from downtown to Elburn, around 4:30 p.m. Reile said service from downtown to Elburn will not resume until law enforcement completes their investigation.
“We can’t run trains during an active police investigation,” Reile said. Metra’s BNSF line, which serves Aurora, may be able to help people who usually take the Union Pacific Western Line home from work get closer to their destination.
UPW rail service will resume between Elburn and Maywood. Rail service between Maywood and Chicago remains suspended due to continued police activity near Kedzie. Visit https://t.co/xOhAUHPPvG for information on delays or Metra Tracker for your train location.
– Metra UP-W (@metraUPW) October 11, 2024
Just before 7 p.m., Metra announced that UPW service would resume between Elburn and Maywood, but service between Maywood and Chicago remained suspended “due to ongoing police activity near Kedzie.”
Police said they went to the 400 block of North Lamon Avenue around 3:50 p.m. for a robbery call, but remained at the scene Friday evening, adding that no one was in custody .
For updates, check the Metra website.
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