Derailment in Antioch delays commuter trains

A freight train derailment near Antioch early this morning caused delays on Metra but should be cleared by the afternoon rush hour, officials said.

The freight train carrying coal was headed to Green Bay on Canadian National Railway Co. tracks when a car left the rails at about 5:45 a.m.

The train car, one of 114, remained upright, CN spokesman Jim Kvedaras said.

"There were no injuries, nothing else was involved," he said.

Commuters traveling on Metra's North Central line between Chicago and Antioch were experiencing delays of 18 minutes.

Officials could not say yet what caused the incident.

"We expect everything to be operating normally by the afternoon rush hour," Metra spokesman Patrick Waldron said.

Also this morning, a broken rail on the Union Pacific Northwest line near Fox River Grove also caused longer commutes than usual.