South Shore Line train service suspended after derailment near East Chicago, adjusted schedule Friday

Commuter train service on the South Shore Line was suspended Thursday after a derailment, leaving riders scrambling for another way to get to work.

South Shore Line officials said the freight train derailment took place around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the South Shore Line along the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) in East Chicago.

The freight train cars were tipped and leaning and appeared to be only partially on the tracks. The tracks where the train derailed are on a curving section of a bridge over the Grand Calumet River.

The derailment resulted in a power outage, which shut down service on the South Shore Line for thousands of commuters. The South Shore Line runs electric trains between downtown Chicago and Indiana, extending as far east as South Bend.

Officials announce service on the line will resume Friday on a holiday/weekend schedule, with busing between Miller and Hegewisch stations because of the derailment and power loss. That busing substitution will remain in effect until further notice. 

Crews worked through the day to replace damaged fiber optic cables that provide communication on the South Shore Line's Monon and Lakeshore routes.

The new Monon Corridor line runs through Hammond and south to Munster. The Lakeshore Line runs east through Gary, Beverly Shores, and Michigan City before finally terminating at South Bend International Airport. Both lines run along the Metra Electric District tracks, formerly the Illinois Central, from downtown Chicago through the city's South Side.

As of 4 p.m., special equipment was staged work to right the derailed hopper cars, many of which were severely damaged. But the plan was to get South Shore Line service back into operation first.  

Crews were also working to repair significant damage on the overhead power system.