Better afternoon commute for Metra riders after morning headaches

After a rough morning, Metra commuters using Union Station had a better ride home Friday.

A computer meltdown at about 6:15 a.m. brought trains to a standstill entering and leaving the station, but some service was restored around 7 a.m., an Amtrak spokesman said. The technical issues affected signals and switches on both sides of the station and in New Orleans and Michigan.

Train traffic started moving about 8 a.m. after Amtrak workers manually moved tracks, but 42 trains were backed up at the station, leading to extensive delays.

Train lines involved included the BNSF, North Central Service, Milwaukee District, and Heritage Corridor.

The cause of the computer problems is under investigation, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.

Amtrak owns Union Station.

Trains were back to normal mid-day, Magliari said.