A DART train fire in July that left multiple people injured was caused when the train came into contact with an overhead catenary wire, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The fire, which happened around 3:30 p.m. July 30, left 11 people injured, including multiple people who were hospitalized, and resulted in DART rail services being suspended in downtown for about a week, according to the NTSB report. At the time of the incident, the train was traveling from the Dallas Fort Worth Airport Station to the Parker Road Station when it stopped at a tunnel at Ross Avenue and U.S. Highway 75.
According to the report, the train contacted a catenary wire, which is a thin copper wire that hangs 20 feet above the train tracks and feeds power from the substations to the train. The contact caused arcing, otherwise known as electrical discharge, which caused the fire. The arcing lasted for 11 minutes, according to the report.
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A review of onboard video recorders from trains that previously traveled through the area showed multiple hangers supporting the wire had become disconnected, the report said.
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According to the NTSB report, 20 people were on board the train; 11 were injured and three were hospitalized. Officials said at the time of the fire that about 40 people were on board and six were hospitalized, while nine others were treated on scene.
The NTSB's review of the incident is ongoing, the report said.