Train passengers stranded for five hours

Thunderstorms and heavy winds pounded the upper Midwest on Tuesday night, stranding Chicago commuter train riders for hours, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, and temporarily delaying Vice-President Joe Biden's return to Washington after a fundraiser. Michael Gillis, spokesman for the commuter rail Metra, said one outbound commuter train was stuck for about five hours when a storm knocked down a power line onto the rail. After 2am CDT yesterday, the train was headed back to downtown, and passengers were being asked to find alternative transportation or wait even longer for another train. Two inbound trains also remained stranded before dawn yesterday, though Gillis said one had no passengers aboard and the other had few, if any. There were numerous other delays and cancellations on the rail line due to the severe weather. "Since the wind stopped, we've been dealing with various track obstructions," Gillis said. The Chicago Aviation Department reported more than 300 flights were cancelled at O'Hare International Airport, with incoming and outgoing flights delayed by at least two hours. More than 30 flights were cancelled at Midway International Airport. From / Gulf News