South Shore Line trains resume after misreported bridge strike, officials say

CHICAGO - South Shore Line train service was temporarily suspended Monday evening after officials initially believed a train had struck a bridge.

Following an investigation, officials determined that no South Shore bridge had been hit. Instead, a barge had collided with a different bridge farther from the train tracks.

What we know:

According to South Shore Line officials, the incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
The U.S. Coast Guard contacted the South Shore Line, reporting that a barge struck a bridge over the Calumet River in Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood.

As a precaution, South Shore Line crews were dispatched to investigate, and trains 121, 123 and 25 were temporarily halted.

A little more than an hour later, officials confirmed the South Shore bridge had not been struck and was structurally sound. 

The barge struck a train bridge from the waterway, but the bridge was not a South Shore Line bridge.

Train service has since resumed. Details about the bridge hit by the barge and the vessel involved have not yet been released.