Tempe Beach Park remains closed Thursday, following Wednesday's train derailment over Tempe Town Lake. An environmental assessment is underway after one of the train cars leaked a hazardous chemical.
The chemical didn’t leak into the lake itself, but the city has canceled all boating classes and activities until further notice.
Susan Tierney with Valley Metro said cleanup efforts will throw a wrench in some public transit routes, but alternatives will be available for riders.
“The area around the Tempe Town Lake Bridge is not available for service," she said. "We certainly don’t want this an inconvenience, but we are trained to deal with situations where if a train can’t serve a portion of the system, the buses are there to provide support.”
Tierney said it’s too early to know when usual light rail service will resume. Tempe streetcar construction closest to the bridge is on hold as well.
Valley Metro has updated its transit services in Tempe.
The light rail route that crosses over Tempe Town Lake did not appear to be damaged because it’s a separate track running adjacent from the Union Pacific cargo train track. But Valley Metro said its light rail bridge will be inspected before service can resume.
Meanwhile, the Mill Avenue and Third Street station will remain closed for ongoing investigations. Buses are being used to transport passengers who usually travel on the light rail in the Tempe area.
Some bus routes are detoured due to the incident. Detour information can be found on the route page:
Up-to-date details are available at valleymetro.org or their twitter.
