NEAR WEST SIDE — The Blue Line has returned to normal service after damage caused by a massive storm Sunday night caused the collapse of the Medical District stop's platform canopy.
The platform of the Near West Side L stop was struck by lightning Sunday (see video below). The strike caused an explosion at the track level and caused the collapse of the roof over the pedestrian bridge that connects commuters to the street level.
Those commuting to work early Monday could be forgiven for not knowing about the explosion that temporarily caused service disruptions on the Blue Line Sunday night into Monday morning.
"That's why I got to make this detour, walk all the way around?" said a man who got off at the Medical District stop early Monday.
The morning light shows the missing chunk of the walkway. (DNAinfo/Joe Ward)
The man, who asked not to give his name, said he had no idea the station was damaged in the storm and said the only disruption was that he had to use the Damen Avenue entrance rather than the Ogden Avenue ramp, which was still closed Monday morning.
Normal Blue Line service returned at around 4 a.m. Monday, after crews for the CTA had removed the destroyed canopy and cleared debris, the transit service said in a tweet. Prior to that, trains in both directions were operating on a single track between Racine and Damen, causing delays, officials said.
Normal service on the Blue Line has resumed after earlier service disruption due to an obstruction (station debris from severe weather).
— cta (@cta) July 25, 2016
Commuters said the ride to work Monday was smooth and was not impacted by the damage. Michelle Robertson, heading to her job at Rush Hospital, said an announcement was made on her train to say that the Paulina entrance was not to be used.
"Not at all," she said when asked about whether there were disruptions. "It was fine."
Video from the scene shows electrical fires, several explosions and a partially collapsed roof at the station, which sits in the middle of the Eisenhower Expy.
Just passed the L collapsing at Racine on 290- unbelievable! #storms @BenBradleyABC7 @jerrytaft pic.twitter.com/nC2tXuUXqo
— Isles OfErin (@IslesofErin) July 24, 2016
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