CHICAGO — A track condition near North/Clybourn triggered major disruptions on the CTA Red Line Friday, forcing southbound trains to temporarily reroute to elevated tracks between Fullerton and Cermak-Chinatown, according to the Chicago Transit Authority.
The disruption began early Friday afternoon and continued into the late afternoon, leaving commuters confused and frustrated — especially after a station attendant at Belmont station reportedly announced that “no Red Line subway service” was available for the day, a message that contradicted CTA’s official updates.
Delayed Alerts Raise Rider Concerns
Screenshots of text alerts sent by CTA show a gap in official notifications. While rerouting began midday, many riders noted the absence of a full alert until after 3:00 p.m.
“Big if true but @cta hasn’t sent a text alert on the situation as of 3:30,” one commuter wrote, referencing the delayed confirmation of subway service impacts.
While Red Line service was not fully suspended, trains heading to 95th/Dan Ryan were rerouted and experiencing delays as the CTA worked to resolve the issue.
What Riders Need to Know
CTA’s latest update confirms:
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95th-bound Red Line trains were rerouted to elevated tracks due to the track condition
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The problem occurred near North/Clybourn, impacting subway operations
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By 2:30 p.m., service was reportedly resuming, but with residual delays
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Riders were asked to allow extra travel time while normal operations returned
“Service is resuming, allow extra time,” read the final text notification sent by CTA.
No injuries or emergencies were reported, and the specific cause of the track issue has not yet been released publicly by the agency.
Commuters Urge CTA to Improve Real-Time Alerts
The situation led to a flood of criticism on social media, with riders expressing frustration over inconsistent station-level announcements and the lack of timely mobile alerts.
“The Belmont attendant said everything was shut down. Why wasn’t this clarified by CTA’s system?” one commuter wrote on X, tagging @AlertsCTA.
This isn’t the first time CTA has faced criticism for slow or unclear messaging during service disruptions, particularly during infrastructure-related incidents in the subway system.
Were you affected by today’s Red Line disruption? How do you feel about CTA’s handling of alerts and rerouting during emergencies?
Share your experience and follow real-time infrastructure updates, transit alerts, and rider voices at ChicagoSuburbanFamily.com.
