Bomb Scare: Suspicious Package Closes Red Line Subway

In case you haven't noticed, bomb scares in Chicago, particularly on CTA, seem to be on the rise. Personally, I'm starting to wonder if these so-called innocuous packages are a dress rehearsal for the real thing.

This morning, around 9 a.m., yet another "harmless" suspicious package inconvenienced CTA riders and tied up valuable police services.

According to CBS Chicago, a black bag was found tied to a train track at the Grand Avenue station at 521 N. State Street. The bag was empty save for a rolling pin.

CTA Red Line services in the area were temporarily rerouted to the elevated train tracks. Services were back to normal around 10 a.m.

Below, is a time line of recent bomb scares on CTA. You can click on the red links for details.

• November 1, 2010: Clark and Lake, Blue Line subway station. 

• November 3, 2010: Belmont/Kimball train station at 3355 West Belmont. 

• November 8, 2010: Addison Blue Line at 3622 West Addison Street. 

• November 17, 2010: Blue Line, UIC-Halsted station at 430 S. Morgan Street.