Commuter train derailments in Chicago ruled accidents
Derailments of two commuter trains this week were accidents and unrelated to suspected sabotage along the same line last week, authorities said Wednesday.
Transit officials determined that heavy vehicular and train traffic caused a slight separation between the tracks, leading to Tuesday night’s derailments of the slow-moving trains near a busy crossing. The cars remained upright, and no injuries were reported.
“We can say with absolute certainty there was no foul play involved, no tampering to any extent,” Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said. “It was a strange situation where two trains derailed on two separate tracks at the same location.”
Both trains, which together carried about 460 passengers, were removed by early Wednesday, and normal service was restored for the morning rush.
The FBI was still offering a $50,000 reward for information about 30 railroad spikes that Metra workers discovered last week had been pulled on a different stretch of the same line.
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