Switching problems near the Clark/Lake CTA station caused major delays for commuters riding the El this morning. And by major delays, we mean a mind-numbing clusterfuck that could cause even the most level-headed person to lose their faith in humanity.
Brown and Purple Line trains were diverted to Red Line tracks at Fullerton. Orange and Green Line trains on the South Side weren't operating past Roosevelt, where riders had to commute to the Red Line. Pink Line trains were diverted to Blue Line tracks at Racine. West Side Green Line trains only ran as far as Clinton, at which point riders had the option to hop on a shuttle bus to Clark/Lake.
All in all, some commuters ended up spending more than an hour on the train on their way into work this morning, which made everyone involved about as happy as Simba when Mufasa got trampled by those stampeding wildebeests.
Here are some of the best reactions to the delays on Twitter this morning.
@cta your incompetence is mind-numbing
— j hennessy (@jhenn75) January 21, 2016
@cta can an alternate route involve opening the doors and scaling a building?
— Phillipe DeLaMothe (@pdelamothe) January 21, 2016
One positive to this morning's #CTA debacle: I invented like 50 new curse words on my way into work. One had 17 letters!
— Matt Lindner (@mattlindner) January 21, 2016
@cta this is ridiculous. Been on the brown line for over an hour and only need moved 3 stops!
— SteezBelieve (@MadisonAndState) January 21, 2016
@cta so we're all getting refunds, right?
— Patrick Winegar (@patrickwinegar) January 21, 2016
@cta you provide the most unreliable service in the country, do your job #cta
— Dr. Nayeli Chavez (@NYChavez) January 21, 2016
@cta Is Orange Ln running from Midway to Loop? Just saw rider tweet that they were "kicked off" and service was suspended.
— Dan Derdzinski (@chicagodand) January 21, 2016
Took purple line cuz it was there& looked warm. 30 mins from Armitage to Sedgwick! @thebrownline STOP punishing me-I'll not betray you again
— Kelli (@alicegnome) January 21, 2016
@petegaines @cta I liked their "stand around with their dicks in their hands and make Will an hour late for work" approach
— Will (@IAmWillMarsh) January 21, 2016
Oh wait now conductor giving us bus routes - SURE I WILL JUMP DOWN FROM SKY AND CATCH BUS @CTAFails
— Kelli (@alicegnome) January 21, 2016
@cta you guys really suck today.
— Phillipe DeLaMothe (@pdelamothe) January 21, 2016
RECOMMENDED: Fun things to do during a CTA delay