Electrical problems force train evacuation

A Chicago Transit Authority train stalled in a subway Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of up to 100 passengers and shutting down service between downtown and O'Hare International Airport.

Seven people were taken to area hospitals but none of their injuries was considered life-threatening, the Chicago Fire Department said.

CTA officials said a problem with electrical circuits in the first car caused the eight-car train to stall inside a tunnel near the station at Clark and Lake streets in Chicago's Loop shortly after 8 a.m. There were no reports of smoke in the tunnel, spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said.

Power was restored just before noon to the line that runs from downtown to O'Hare as well as south and west of downtown.

After some passengers jumped off and refused to get back on the train, officials shut down power out of concern that someone might touch the electrified third rail, CTA President Ron Huberman said.

"Our intent was to restore power and get the train moving," said Gaffney.

A passenger on a train directly behind the one with mechanical problems said the trains were stopped for two hours before he saw anyone jump off.

Pedro Ortiz told WBBM-TV that after a long wait, the train he was on began pushing the stalled train, but then the stalled train started moving backward and slammed into his train.

"I guess that's when people on the train ahead of us started evacuating on their own," he said.

As many as 100 passengers on the first train and three others stopped inside the tunnel were evacuated by firefighters and CTA personnel, officials said.

The Blue Line transports 60,000 people a day. Huberman said bus shuttles had been set up to transport train passengers.

The Blue Line is part of Chicago's famed El, a century-old train system that runs throughout the city and to nearby communities. While much of the system is above ground, some trains run underground through the Loop.

Riders have long complained about problems with the deteriorating system, including delays and trains that crawl along at speeds of 5 mph in spots where the tracks are particularly shoddy.

Last year, the AP reported that about one-third of the system's rail cars exceed the 25-year maximum recommended by federal authorities. On Tuesday, Huberman said the cars of the train that stalled went into service in 1969.

The CTA system made headlines on July 16, 2006, when a crowded rush-hour Blue Line train derailed in a subway, causing a smoky fire that injured more than 150 people, six seriously.

Last September, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a blistering report of the system, saying that a seriously flawed inspection and maintenance program likely played a major role in the derailment.

The NTSB also found that insufficient time allowed for inspections and limited training of inspectors contributed to unsafe conditions on the Blue Line. At the time, the CTA said it had already implemented many of the NTSB's safety recommendations.

On Tuesday, Huberman apologized to CTA riders.

"We've been working very hard to win our customers' respect," he said. "We know that certain incidents like today set us back."