Metra service back to normal

Metra officials say commuter rail service has been restored on its North Central Line in the wake of a freight train derailment near Buffalo Grove last week. Official say riders can expect full service with minimal delays.

The only reported delay is on Train 101 between Antioch and Chicago.

The North Central, which doesn't run on weekends, was shut after 17 of 72 cars on a southbound Canadian National freight train derailed early Friday between Aptakisic Road and Deerfield Parkways near Buffalo Grove.

No one was injured in the derailment.

Crews worked over the weekend to remove the 17 cars so traffic could be restored on the tracks.

Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said says trains would run normally on the line on Monday. Gillkis also said all Metra lines would operate on their regular schedules Monday, despite the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Canadian National Railway officials, meanwhile, were still unable to say what caused the Friday derailment.

The North Central Line serves Antioch, Grayslake, Vernon Hills, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Prospect Heights and other towns. It stops at the remote parking lot at O'Hare International Airport before its final destination downtown.

About 4,500 to 5,000 commuters use the North Central Line on weekdays.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=264835&src=19">Freight train derailment blocks Metra North Central line <span class="date">[01/16/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>