CHICAGO, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- An engineer working for Chicago's Metra railway system allowed an 18-year-old civilian to operate trains, the Federal Railroad Administration alleges.
FRA spokesman Warren Flatau said one Metra engineer has been suspended pending an investigation into a teenager's claims that he drove several Metra trains, the Chicago Sun-Times said Friday.
The Chicago Tribune said the suburban teenager, whose identity wasn't released, bragged about his Metra experiences on his MySpace page. The online postings led to an investigation and the suspension of the unidentified Metra employee and two other system engineers.
The other two Metra workers have been accused of allowing the teen to enter several locomotive cabs without permission from their superiors.
Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said if the allegations are substantiated at an upcoming investigative hearing, the three employees could face harsher consequences.
"We are taking the allegations extremely serious," she told the Tribune. "We have met with union officials and told them that we expect them to respond appropriately if these allegations are substantiated."
