No Ethanol fire as initially reported, but Metra trains delayed
It was one of the most attention-grabbing Metra alerts ever - "due to an ethanol freight train that has caught fire," BNSF Line trains were halted in Hinsdale Wednesday night.
Fortunately, the potential catastrophe turned out to be a nonevent that caused delays for late-night passengers but had no other ill effects.
Metra uses a variety of heaters to melt ice and snow on switches in winter, including gas-powered ones that display a small flame. A BNSF freight train crew that stopped for a safety inspection noticed a heater on an adjacent track and "out of an abundance of caution," alerted dispatchers to a potential fire at 8:30 p.m., a railroad spokesman said.
"We are safety first and safety-driven," BNSF's Andy Williams said Thursday.
Metra issued several alerts to passengers including the notice about the ethanol fire, which was later revised to a "fire on the tracks."
The information "came from early reports from the scene from the BNSF crew," Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. "Our GPS team, upon hearing the information, made the judgment call to relay it to customers because we try to let them know as soon as possible when something happens that will seriously disrupt their commute.
"Corrected information was sent less than 15 minutes later. We are grateful the situation did not turn out as serious as it initially appeared."
BNSF trains resumed at 9:40 p.m. with delays of 20 to 50 minutes reported.
The freight train, which carried flammable liquids, went on at 10:40 p.m.
With the increase in freight trains carrying ethanol and crude oil through the Chicago region, there's been a spotlight on potential hazards and prevention.
The American Association of Railroads reported that train carloads of crude oil in the U.S. reached a record 493,146 in 2014.