Freight train derails on bridge west of Denver, empty grain car falls 25 feet to highway below

Train derails west of Denver, car falls 25 feet

GOLDEN, Colo. — A freight train derailed near the foothills west of Denver Thursday, sending an empty grain car plunging about 25 feet to the roadway below.

The car didn’t hit any vehicles on Colorado 72, a small highway that connects mountain communities to the Denver suburbs, and no injuries were reported.

The 94-car Union Pacific train was crossing a bridge over the highway at the entrance to Coal Creek Canyon when eight empty cars derailed, said railroad spokesman Mark Davis.

Colorado 72 reopened Thursday evening.

The tracks above it carry both freight trains and a soon-to-be reopened passenger train that takes skiers from Denver to the mountains.

It’s not yet known why the train derailed.

The accident happened one day after a coal train derailed in Colorado Springs.