Storm forces more than 1,000 flight cancellations at O’Hare, Midway, delays Metra trains

A winter storm Friday punished air travelers and commuters with widespread flight cancellations and delays.

Over 1,060 flights were canceled at the O’Hare and Midway airports as of 10 a.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at O’Hare early Friday morning. That was lifted around 8 a.m. but snowy conditions are resulting in average delays of 45 minutes at O’Hare and 16 minutes at Midway international airports.

Meanwhile, numerous Metra trains are experiencing delays and some have been canceled.

Downed power lines on the Union Pacific Northwest Line have halted traffic on the route for over two hours as of 10 a.m.

“We are advising passengers on that line to use the Milwaukee North at this point as we are waiting for ComEd to get to the scene,” spokeswoman Meg Thomas-Reile said.

In Wheaton, a vehicle was stuck on the Union Pacific West line, which also delayed trains.

Metra is urging drivers to use caution when approaching crossings and allow plenty of time to get to and from the station.

“We are seeing some signal and switch issues on other parts of the railroad but most are being resolved fairly quickly,” Thomas-Reile said.