(The following article by Virginia Groark was posted on the Chicago Tribune website on June 17.)
CHICAGO — Metra officials apologized to their Burlington Northern Santa Fe passengers Friday, one day after the discovery of soap powder on the tracks caused a nearly four-hour shutdown of the system’s busiest line and stranded thousands of people on trains for up to three hours.
The problems continued Friday morning when Metra canceled some trains and rerouted others to comply with federal law that requires crews to rest for 10 hours after a 12-hour shift.
Metra board Chairman Jeffrey Ladd said the delays were unacceptable.
“We have to find a way to do a better job,” he said.
On its Web site, Metra thanked customers for their “calm and reasonable demeanor during what was, in all likelihood, your longest and most trying commute home.”
But the incident amazed riders like Richard Clarke, a four-year Metra commuter who found it hard to believe that the discovery of sacks of material used to make soap could cause disruptions the next day.
“Generally, except when someone commits suicide, the service is excellent,” said Clarke, 40, who took the day off from his information technology job Friday after his Chicago-bound train failed to arrive at the Route 59 station on the Naperville/Aurora border. “Shutting it down for two days because of some spilled soap powder. … It’s taking caution to insane lengths.”
On Thursday, Metra halted service on the Chicago to Aurora (BNSF) Line for nearly four hours after sacks of stearic acid fell off a Cicero-bound freight train, scattering them along a 27-mile stretch from Aurora to Cicero.
The discovery stranded 12,000 riders and packed others into the nearby Union Pacific West Line, where regular riders reported standing-room only conditions. While some outbound trains made it to Hinsdale, riders said they were left to fend for themselves. Some called friends and relatives for rides; others walked home. Riders who were dropped off at other stations complained of a shuttle bus shortage, a problem Metra acknowledged on its Web site. Commuters also complained that Metra gave them little information about the reason for the problems or direction on alternate ways to get home.
Authorities in Downers Grove, where the first sacks were discovered, initially handled the investigation. But once officials learned the bags were spread over 27 miles, village officials handed the case over to the BNSF.
But the railroad did not have a hazardous material team immediately available, Ladd said. Ultimately, BNSF crews and contractors boarded an empty train and traveled along the tracks, picking up the sacks, railroad spokesman Steve Forsberg said.
BNSF continues to investigate how the bags fell off a train, which typically has sealed doors on its trailers and containers, Forsberg said.