Lightning strike causes Metra delays

A lightning strike at a Union Pacific switching location damaged equipment and has stalled Metra traffic along all three of the railroad’s lines into Chicago’s Ogilvie Station.

One outbound train on the northbound line to Kenosha, Wis., is experiencing a nearly two-hour delay, according to Metra spokesman Michael Gillis.

Delays are reported on eight Metra lines in all.

The lighting strike occurred at a switching location near the Ogilvie Station. The equipment outage created a “bottleneck,” Gillis said.

Workers have alleviated some of the backup and trains are just starting to get through now, Gillis reported.