Part of the Green Line came to a halt Monday because of a power-system issue on a stretch of the route that includes the University of Minnesota campus.

Trains between Downtown East and the Raymond Avenue stations went offline about 2:45 p.m. and were still out of service through late evening. Metro Transit workers diverted commuters from the rail cars to buses. The closed section included five other stops between the two stations.

Metro Transit expected to have service restored by midnight. Crews worked through the night and it wasn't clear whether trains would be back in operation for the morning commute.

Trains along the rest of the Green Line continued to operate as normal. The Blue Line was not affected.

The disruption began when a westbound Green Line train was stopped near the East Bank station on Washington Avenue SE. near Harvard Street after the part of the train that connects to power lines was damaged, said Bruce Howard of Metro Transit. The train traveled about 200 feet from the station when a piece of metal touched a live wire, setting off sparks on top of the train, Howard said.

The train came to a stop near Washington Avenue and Church Street.

Minneapolis police responded to a gas leak near the University of Minnesota campus Monday. Photo by Libor Jany

In a separate incident, a gas line break was reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. at Washington Avenue SE. and Huron Boulevard.

Police said a 3-inch pipe was struck. Residents in a three-block radius were evacuated for an hour. No one was injured.

For the latest information, check Metro Transit news at www.metrotransit.org.

STAFF REPORTS