Both Metra service and Verizon service have been affected by communications issues causing significant disruptions in their services. Initially there was no information indicating that the two outages were related.
Metra passenger trains were delayed or not operating Monday morning and afternoon, September 30, 2024 in Chicagoland due to automated communications or signaling problems. Train lines including Union Pacific Northwest, Milwaukee North, North Central Service and the Heritage Corridor were affected by signal and train control problems, Metra announced on X.
The delay on the Milwaukee District West line was delayed due to a mechanical failure, according to Metra.
Verizon service was also experiencing an outage Monday, September 30, 2024. Initially, there was a problem using services, such as call forwarding. Later Monday morning, many Verizon customers were unable to make phone calls with their phones, while their phones indicated their Verizon service was in SOS mode. The Verizon issue was nationwide, and affected both Apple iOS phones and Android OS phones.
SOS appears in the status bars of iPhones if the device is not connected to a cellular network; however an affected phone should be capable of making an emergency 9-1-1 call.
“If you see SOS or “SOS only” in the status bar, your device can still make emergency calls. If you see No Service or Searching in the status bar on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular), your device isn’t connected to a cellular network.”
Verizon service is working for some customers, and is not working for some other customers.
Service was working on some Apple iPhones, and not other Apple iPhones, even within the same cellular account.
Example devices affected …
Verizon 5G data service on a cellular-capable Apple iPad was operating normally to provide access to Internet, Apple iMessage, and other messaging apps.
Some mobile Wi-Fi routers were working, and some were not, whether they were 4G routers or 5G routers.
One person on downdetector.com reported that a 5G iPhone wasn’t working, but a 4G iPad was working.
Verizon issued a minimal statement at 10:48 a.m.CDT, over two hours after the issue began …
“We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.”
— Verizon on X
Metra issued a statement explaining in detail the disruption in service.
“The cause is the failure of the PTC system operated by CN, which is affecting all Metra lines that use (Heritage Corridor and North Central Service) or cross (Milwaukee District North and UP Northwest) CN tracks at locations that are controlled by CN.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is a system that will automatically stop a train if the engineer fails to obey a signal or exceeds the speed limit, thereby preventing train-to-train collisions, unauthorized entry into work zones and derailments due to speeding or moving through misaligned track switches. The system integrates GPS, trackside sensors and communications units, onboard computers, and centralized train dispatching systems. Together, these components track trains, convey operating instructions, and monitor the crew’s operation of the train.
Every railroad is responsible for the PTC system on the tracks they own, and every railroad that operates over another railroad’s tracks must have onboard PTC units that are interoperable with the host railroad’s system. When CN’s PTC system failed, no trains were able to operate on its tracks or cross tracks at intersections it controls.
We were able to get clearance to operate over the junctions about an hour ago on the Milwaukee North and UP Northwest but still aren’t operating on the HC and NCS. We are waiting for CN’s computer system to come back.”
The train system safety measure known as the Positive Train Control (PTC) is a system that automatically stops a train if the engineer fails to obey a signal or if the train exceeds the speed limit.”
— Metra
Six hours after the issues began with Verizon, there were no updates regarding the outage, while the outage persisted.
Verizon did not provide any indication that the company knew the cause of the outage, and did not provide an estimated time for the restoration of service, leading to speculation that Verizon really didn’t know the cause of their outage.
The website Downdetector.com showed similar outage report patterns for Verizon, AT&T, US Cellular, Cricket Wireless, and T-Mobile. However, the businesses outside the Verizon network were believed to be indirect data traffic congestion due to the issues at Verizon.
AT&T posted an alert on X, stating, “We are not experiencing a nationwide outage. Our national network is operating normally. Down Detector is likely reflecting challenges our customers are having attempting to connect to users on another network.” AT&T didn’t indicate that other network was Verizon.
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