CHICAGO _ It's not often anyone arrives at a scene faster than the Chicago Fire Department, but one baby did just that when she was born on a CTA platform minutes before her twin sister.
The twins made their debut at the CTA's Roosevelt Street station Wednesday morning after their mother went into labor on the Red Line platform, fire officials said.
Paramedics were called to the mezzanine level of the station in the 1100 block of South State Street around 7:30 a.m., according to the CTA.
"It went surprisingly smoothly for the first run of the day," paramedic Maire Shields said.
"She's a tough girl," she added about the mother, in her early 30s.
The babies and mom were taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center and were doing well, officials said.
The mother had visited the hospital Tuesday because she thought she was having contractions. She was on her way there once again when she went into labor.
CTA employees and two Chicago police officers on the scene helped deliver the first child and closed off the area. Paramedics arrived to deliver the second baby about six minutes later.
The second baby took longer to wake up and cry than the first, said paramedics, but both were fine by the time they got to the hospital.
Officials said the mother was due around Thanksgiving, and she now has at least two things to be thankful for this year.
