Outbound Metra trains delayed at Union Station

Outbound Metra trains on the BNSF and SouthWest lines are experiencing delays during tonight’s rush hour commute due to problems at Chicago Union Station.

Union Station was jam packed following a malfunction with a switch on track on the south-side of the station, said Metra spokesman Tom Miller.

The mechanism that diverts trains from track to track failed at about 4:30 p.m., causing between 30 and 40 minute delays on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line and the Southwest line, Miller said.

“We just have so many trains running right then it’s just bad timing,” Miller said. “We are playing catch-up right now.”

BNSF trains No. 1267, 1271 and 1277 set to arrive at Route 59 at 6:03 p.m., Aurora at 6:30 p.m. and Route 59 at 6:25 p.m., respectively, are operating between 30 and 50 minutes behind schedule according to Metra’s website.

Inbound trains from Aurora to Chicago are also delayed tonight because the earlier trains that could not make it out of Union Station had not arrived.

Train No. 1292, set to depart Aurora at 6:20 p.m. and arrive in Chicago at 7:40 p.m. will be delayed. Metra did not provide an estimate time of departure.