Metra says rails are safe; investigation continues

Metra officials say riders should not be concerned about the possibility of additional track sabotage as the FBI probes the removal of rail spikes from train tracks on Chicago's South Side.

Metra inspectors stepped up the daily examinations of their 11 Chicago-area lines Thursday as the FBI continued its investigation into who ripped out 12 rail spikes that could have caused a derailment.

"Anytime you have a situation when there has been criminal activity it is a concern," Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said. "But … we have not found any suspicious activity anywhere else on our system."

On Monday, Metra employees noticed the spikes missing on tracks that carry the Metra Electric Line to University Park and the South Shore Line to Michigan City, Ind.

Terrorism investigators have been notified, but FBI spokesman Ross Rice said agents are looking at a possible connection to a domestic violence case involving a Metra engineer who works those lines.

The spikes, which hold rails to the tracks, require significant effort to remove, so the incident is not believed to be random vandalism.