CHICAGO — CTA passengers, fed up with waiting for half an hour on a stopped Blue Line train underground, pulled the emergency exit and walked down the track, according to multiple witnesses.
@cta you've got a big problem on the blue line. pic.twitter.com/TFgiNI0csW
— Whitney Capps (@whintee) February 19, 2016
The incident reportedly happened near the UIC-Halsted stop on the Blue Line, where CTA rider Whitney Capps said the train was sitting in a tunnel for 30 minutes without any news of what was happening.
Frustrated with lack of service from CTA, Capps said, "If this were the Brown line, not the outbound Blue, this would never have gone down like this. No one can predict the weather, but that was inhumane."
READ MORE: Gusting Winds Knock Out Power for 79,000 Chicagoans: ComEd
The passengers pulled the emergency door and walked to the platform, which was about 100 yards away, Capps said. She remained on the train and it started moving within about 10 minutes after that.
Another witness, Clare Lane, said that the conductor said standing trains had lost power. Her car waited over 25 minutes. Her train had been standing on the Blue Line for so long, that one woman fainted, she said.
@DNAinfoCHI Chicagoans are resilient. She got up, refused water or help, then took a seat. She's on the phone, says she's "not well."
— Clare Lane (@clareifying) February 19, 2016
CTA later posted that delays on the Blue Line were due to "unauthorized persons on the tracks" near UIC-Halsted. Jeff Tolman, CTA spokesman, said that people "purposely decided to self-evacuate," which he stressed is "extremely dangerous, not only to the offenders, but also to other passengers aboard the train."
Tolman said that there was no imminent safety issue for the stopped train, which was standing due to weather delays. Gusting winds in Chicago damaged multiple building Downtown Friday, and left debris on the tracks, which caused CTA to evacuate some Pink and Green Line trains in the Loop.
With car traffic also close to a standstill due to weather disruptions, the evening commute Friday was difficult no matter the form of transportation.
"We've continuously been providing regular updates including on social media and making announcements on platforms and trains," Tolman said.
Meanwhile, people waiting for Blue Line trains in the Loop packed into subway platforms. CTA said it did not know when Pink and Green Line trains would resume, and has urged people to take buses.
.CTA blue line Clark/Lake platform. Complete disaster. pic.twitter.com/asVT9nzUxN
— Idalmy Carrera (@IdalmyCarrera) February 19, 2016
Downtown Reporter David Matthews describes the city's reaction to the wind.
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