Locomotive breakdown in Roselle snarls Milwaukee District lines

A locomotive with brake problems led to a messy morning commute Wednesday for riders on Metra's Milwaukee West line.

Train 2210 made its normal stop in Roselle around 7 a.m., but the locomotive's brakes could not be released for the nine-car train to leave the station, Metra spokeswoman Meg Thomas-Reile said. That blocked access to the outbound platform and sparked a domino effect on other trains.

The train crew and several Metra mechanics who already were on board were unable to fix the problem quickly, so subsequent inbound trains had to cross over to the outbound track west of the Roselle Station and then cross back to the inbound track at Bensenville, Thomas-Reile said.

Passengers on the disabled train were transferred to another train but arrived downtown about 1 hour and 20 minutes late.

The locomotive eventually was moved and evening rush hour was normal, Thomas-Reile said.