CHICAGO — Dozens of people were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries after two CTA Blue Line trains collided in Forest Park, officials said.
An "L" train traveling east struck a standing train, which was headed west on the same tracks, at the Harlem station sometime before 8 a.m., CTA spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said. The moving train did not have riders on it, while the stopped train was carrying commuters, she said.
The number of people reported injured in the crash varied. According to Forest Park Fire Chief Steve Glinke, 49 people were taken to local hospitals, while the CTA said 33 people were hospitalized.
None of the injuries were life threatening, the fire department and the CTA said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, Lukidis said, and it was unclear why the trains were on the same tracks.
"We're in the midst of a thorough investigation," Lukidis said.
The investigation would be led by the National Transportation Safety Board, the CTA said.
The CTA issued an alert that service would be stopped between the Forest Park and Austin stations, though were offering a shuttle bus, Lukidis said. By about 9:45 a.m., service resumed to Forest Park but trains were not stopping at Harlem, according to the CTA.
Service east of Kedzie to the Loop was operating normally, Lukidis said.