BREAKING NEWS: 'El Train Derails in Chicago

CHICAGO - A north-bound passenger train derailed on the North side of Chicago this morning at approximately 8:45 a.m.

According to a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) official, emegency responders and CTA personnel are on the scene now. Currently, the derailed Brown line train is blocking all four lines of elevated train track just north of Chicago's busy Belmont station, halting CTA train service indefinitely.

The train derailed near a point on the tracks where three 'El lines intersect - the Brown, Red and Purple lines. An operator of a CTA Purple line train at the Diversey stop said the power was cut to the entire 'El system in order to allow work on the derailment.

"These things usually take quite some time," he said. "We will not be moving any time soon."

The CTA official did not know the extent of the derailment, but did say that shuttle buses were en route at 10 a.m., and would shuttle passengers between Southport and Fullerton. He could not comment on what passengers should do if they needed to go further north than Southport, but speculated that southbound service from Fullerton should be back online soon - including Red and Brown line service to the Loop.

There is no available information as to how or why the derailment occurred at this time.

UPDATE: According to various media reports, a still-and-box alarm and EMS Plan I, which sends at least five ambulances, were called by the Fire Department just in case.

First responders were able to escort 13 passengers from the one affected train car down a catwalk back to the Belmont stop. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

Belmont Street has been closed between Sheffield and Clark, and traffic continues to build in that area this morning.