10/08/00
Service to all CTA rail lines was restored at 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening after an afternoon power outage led to the shutdown of service for safety reasons.
The Commonwealth Edison power problem affected CTA 'L' customers Sunday afternoon by knocking out the signal system for trains operating in the State and Dearborn subways, and on the Loop ?L," temporarily halting all CTA 'L' service through the downtown area.
The CTA Control Center initially lost contact with rail operators in the downtown area in the early afternoon, switches at key downtown junctions stopped functioning, and signals turned red, effectively stopping all train movements through the Loop.
To ensure customer safety, 'L' service was temporarily halted on the five rail lines that run through downtown on Sundays. Customers waiting at 'L' stations were directed to nearby bus lines to complete their trips. Following emergency procedures, train operators moved their trains to the closest station before allowing passengers to alight.
CTA President Frank Kruesi said, "We greatly appreciate the understanding and cooperation of our customers in responding to this emergency. Their safety is our foremost concern, and we would not compromise that safety by trying to run trains with neither signals nor radio communication."
After power was restored, and all signals were tested and reset, the first trains went back into service on the Red and Green Lines at 6:07 p.m. Brown and Orange Line trains resumed service at 6:15 p.m., and Blue Line trains at 6:30 p.m.
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