FBI finds no evidence of criminal activity in Tempe train derailment
Sep 10, 2020, 2:00 PM
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The FBI found no evidence of criminal activity in a July 29 freight train derailment and fire that extensively damaged a century-old railroad bridge in metro Phoenix, according to a federal report released Thursday.
A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report did not identify a probable cause for the derailment of 12 cars that were part of a Union Pacific train of three locomotives and 97 cars crossing Tempe Town Lake along the Salt River in Tempe.
“All aspects … of the accident remain under investigation,” the report stated.
Some of the derailed cars carrying lumber and other cargo caught fire, causing the south end of the bridge to partially collapse.
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No train crew members were injured. One emergency responder was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation.
Union Pacific estimated cost of the damage at $8 million to $12 million, the NTSB report said.
The railroad in mid-August restored rail service over the bridge, which passes over the Rio Salado Parkway next to the lake, a popular recreation area.
The bridge is part of a spur rail line that serves metro Phoenix. The spur connects with Union Pacific’s Texas-to-California main line that crosses southern Arizona.
