Possible Metra Delays Due to Heat Today

  FYI for Metra riders:  There could be delays on the trains today due to the high temps.  Possible delays are estimated at about 15 minutes.  I can deal with that as long as they keep the air conditioning pumping!

Another Metra Fatality

  Unfortunately this morning marked another fatality on the Metra Milwaukee District West Line.  At about 6:20am, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train near Hanover Park train station.  This train was actually the train that I ride into Chicago almost every morning.  When I heard the announcement that all trains going east and west were at a standstill, I made the decision to walk back to my car and drive over to Arlington Park to pick up the Union Pacific/Northwest Line. 
  As I keep stressing, please be careful around trains.  Metra's slogan is Look, Listen, Live!

Warning; May Contain Graphic Content

  In the 12 years that I've been riding the Metra, thankfully I have never witnessed first-hand a person getting hit by a train.  Yesterday morning was the first time that I did witness an extremely close-call.  Every morning there are the usual few people that quickly dart across the tracks as the train is approaching.  Yesterday was no exception.  Three people ran across as the train approached the station with a fourth person slowly walking towards the tracks.  I thought the lagging person was going to stop but instead he started to walk across.  I almost thought he was wearing headphones, but couldn't be sure, which may have been what was distracting him.  The train started blowing its whistle like crazy and I saw the person look up and then take a couple quick steps to make it to the platform as the train almost took his life.  It was such a close call that the conductor used the emergency brake and stopped the train before its normal stopping place for passengers.  I overheard someone say that the conductor probably thought he had hit the person. 
  Now even though I have never witnessed someone getting hit by a train first-hand, I have heard about it and I have witnessed the aftermath.  I've heard stories of people getting hit at a station and how nearby passengers have gotten sprayed with blood or hit with body parts.  About 8 years ago, I was on a train into Chicago with a couple of friends.  A train before our train had hit a person and all trains going through the "scene of the accident" were moving at a slow pace.  I was surprised that our train was actually allowed to go through the accident area because most of the time they stop all other trains.  As our train was slowly going through the accident area, we looked out the window and to our surprise, we saw the person splattered across the tracks that were sitting next to the tracks our own train was on.  However, you wouldn't have known it was a person because it no longer resembled a human being.  The best way I could describe it was that what I saw looked like bloody, raw chicken sitting on the tracks.  Again, I was surprised that we were allowed to see the "accident scene" but maybe in a way it served as a warning to people.  All over the station and on the train, Metra uses the phrase "Look, Listen, Live!"  Some people need to take this phrase more seriously.

More Train Delays

  For the second Thursday morning in a row I took the Metra out of the Arlington Park train station into Chicago.  I had heard on the news that there was some emergency track work on the Milwaukee District West Line and trains were delayed.  The first delay time I heard at 5:45am was 45 minutes and then it dropped to 30 minutes.   The trains could be back on schedule by now but just a warning for morning commuters.