Rail service on Metra’s Union Pacific West line was suspended for several hours Friday due to a police investigation into a train cargo theft in the city’s Austin neighborhood.
A Union Pacific spokesperson said that around 5:55 p.m. railroad officials and Chicago police responded to cargo thefts at a rail yard near Lake Street and North Lockwood Avenue. “Rail burglaries pose a safety threat to the public, our employees and local law enforcement officers,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Around 7:45 p.m., Union Pacific announced six arrests had been made and that some merchandise was recovered. A stopped train was awaiting an interchange with a partner railroad when thieves began opening containers, according to Union Pacific.
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 would not resume until law enforcement completed its investigation.
“We can’t run trains through an active police investigation,” Reile said. Metra’s BNSF line, which runs to Aurora, may be able to help people who usually take the Union Pacific west line home from work get closer to their destinations.
UPW train service will resume between Elburn to Maywood. Train service between Maywood to Chicago remains suspended due to ongoing police activity near Kedzie. Visit https://t.co/xOhAUHPPvG for delay information or Metra Tracker for the location of your train.
— Metra UP-W (@metraUPW) October 11, 2024
Just before 7 p.m., Metra announced that the 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 responded to the 400 block of North Lamon Avenue around 3:50 p.m. for a theft call and remained at the scene Friday evening.