Maryland Train Derailments 2026
Quick answer: Maryland had 2 train derailments in 2026 through August, the latest month in the FRA data, compared with 5 in January-August 2025. 2025 ended with 8 derailments. FRA figures run 2-3 months behind: for a derailment today, see accidents today.
Updated · FRA records through 31 August 2026 · Source: Federal Railroad Administration, Form 54 (public domain)
Looking for a derailment today? Official FRA data lags 2-3 months, so recent crashes are not on this map yet. See accidents today (every accident report from the last 24 hours) and the live accident map, which lists rail accidents from news reports every 15 minutes, or Maryland accidents today.
Maryland train derailment map
Every derailment in Maryland reported to the FRA in 2025 and 2026, placed at the coordinates the railroad reported. Click a dot for the railroad, cars derailed, hazmat, injuries, cause and the official FRA report.
10 derailments shown
Latest train derailments in Maryland
Newest first, as filed by the railroads. Filters above also apply to this list.
| Date | Place | Railroad | Cars | Hazmat | Hurt | Cause (FRA) | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-04 | Cumberland, Allegany County | CSX Transportation | 6 | none | none | Buffing or slack action excessive, train handlingRailroad's descriptionAFTER COUPLING M36904 EMPLOYEE STRETCHED AHEAD AND FAILED TO STAY AT 2MPH OR BELOW UNTIL ENTIRE TRAIN MOVED RESULTING IN STRINGLINE DERAILMENT. |
FRA |
| 2026-04-17 | Baltimore, Baltimore City County | CSX Transportation | 8 | none | none | Failure to allow air brakes to fully release before proceedingRailroad's descriptionM41015 LOCOMOTIVE OPERATOR WAS TRAVELING AT 17 MPH WHEN HE REDUCES THROTTLE FROM T8 TO T7 AND THEN TO IDLE WITHIN THREE SECONDS. HE THEN APPLIES A 16LB REDUCTION OF AUTOMATIC BRAKE FRO 7 SECONDS WHENIN IDLE AND RELEASES THE BRAKE AND BEGINS TO PULL TRAIN ON AN ASCENDING GRADE WITH MODERATE TO HEAVYCURVATURE. WHILE T... |
FRA |
| 2025-11-19 | Cumberland, Allegany County | CSX Transportation | 5 | none | none | Interaction of lateral/vertical forces (includes harmonic rock off)Railroad's descriptionY19018 WAS SHOVING 127 CARS FROM WR5 TRACK INTO W04 TRACK TO SPLIT CUT IN HALF PRIOR TO SWITCHING.TTZX 866729 LIFTED IN CURVE DERAILING WHICH RESULTED IN FOUR OTHER CARS ALSO DERAILING. |
FRA |
| 2025-11-03 | Perryville, Cecil County | Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) | 1 | none | none | Other train operation/human factorsRailroad's descriptionMark IV tamper A11509 derailed in the OOS of 4 Track due to high ballast between Prince and Perry atMP 58. The buggy was damaged on the Mark IV tamper. |
FRA |
| 2025-10-12 | Rosedale, Baltimore County | CSX Transportation | 20 | none | none | Failure to apply sufficient number of hand brakes on car(s) (railroad employee)Railroad's descriptionM41010/X41013 RAN AWAY DUE TO INSUFFICIENT HANDBRAKES WHEN TYING DOWN TRAIN, RESULTING IN A 17 CAR DERAILMENT. :CONFIRMED OVER SPEED |
FRA |
| 2025-07-22 | Chase, Baltimore County | Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) | 1 | none | none | Object or equipment on or fouling track - other than above (for vandalism, see code M503)Railroad's descriptionNew rail was in the gage for TLS work, equipment was moving north in preparation to shift out of theOOS when the TCA30001 struct a piece of slightly raised over lapped piece of rail causing the machine to derail. |
FRA |
| 2025-06-23 | Perry Point, Cecil County | Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) | 3 | 79 in train | none | Mismatched rail-head contourRailroad's descriptionThe front truck of NS37 derailed at a joint at the switch points of the 17B switch on the North legof the Wye at Perry while heading to the Port Road branch. It struck NS591 that was also moving towards the port road branch on the South leg. Therewas damage to NS engine, 2 NS Hopper cars, C&S junction box, 17A switc... |
FRA |
| 2025-06-08 | Cumberland, Allegany County | CSX Transportation | 1 | none | none | Kicking or dropping cars, inadequate precautionsRailroad's descriptionEMPLOYEE KICKED 6 LOADS INTO W20 RESULTING IN PNWX 92157 SHOVING OUT WEST END INTO MULX 200530 SIDESWIPING AND DERAILING AEND OF PNWX 92157 |
FRA |
| 2025-05-15 | Sudlersville, Queen Anne's County | Maryland & Delaware Railroad Company | 3 | none | none | Speed, otherRailroad's descriptionMA-01 OPERATING NORTHBOUND WITH TEN CARLOADS WHEN CARS EIGHT, NINE AND TEN DERAILED. THE INFORMATION ENTERED IN FIELDS #22 AND #28 IS ACCURATE. |
FRA |
| 2025-01-26 | Baltimore City, Baltimore County | Norfolk Southern Railway Company | 5 | none | none | Broken Rail - Detail fracture from shelling or head checkRailroad's description594H223 DERAILED 4 CARS ON THE PRESIDENT STREET BRANCH WHEN THEY WERE SHOVING THE A PORTION OF THEIRDOUBLE INTO RELAY 3. THEY WERE SHOVING AT RESTRICTED SPEED ON TOP OF THE TRAP SOUTH SWITCH WHEN BROKEN RAIL UNDER THE MOVEMENT CAUSED THEM TO DERAIL. CAR COUNT CONFIRMED.NO INJURES. |
FRA |
"Cars" counts derailed cars and locomotives. "Hazmat" counts cars carrying hazardous materials: released = some product escaped. Showing up to 50 rows; the map has all 10.
Recent rail accident news
Headlines our live monitor matched as rail accidents. These are news reports, not FRA records: details may change and some will never meet the FRA reporting threshold.
Maryland train derailments by year
2026 covers January-August only. Each derailment is counted once, even when more than one railroad filed a report.
* 2026 to date (January-August, preliminary). Source: FRA Form 54, distinct accidents with accident type "derailment".
Top causes of train derailments in Maryland
The railroad codes a primary cause on every report from FRA's train accident cause code list. We group the codes into FRA's five main groups and their sub-groups, in plain English.
2026 (to August) · 2 derailments
2025 · 8 derailments
| Sub-group (2025-2026) | Derailments |
|---|---|
| Train handling and make-up (slack action, braking, heavy cars placed wrong) | 2 |
| Unusual situations: objects on track, wheel-rail forces | 2 |
| Broken rails, joint bars, ties and fasteners | 2 |
| Other human factors | 1 |
| Hand brakes and securing parked cars | 1 |
| Switching moves: shoving, coupling, derails left on | 1 |
| Excessive speed | 1 |
| Most common exact causes (FRA wording) | Derailments |
|---|---|
| Buffing or slack action excessive, train handling | 1 |
| Failure to allow air brakes to fully release before proceeding | 1 |
| Interaction of lateral/vertical forces (includes harmonic rock off) | 1 |
| Other train operation/human factors | 1 |
| Failure to apply sufficient number of hand brakes on car(s) (railroad employee) | 1 |
| Object or equipment on or fouling track - other than above (for vandalism, see code M503) | 1 |
| Mismatched rail-head contour | 1 |
| Kicking or dropping cars, inadequate precautions | 1 |
| Speed, other | 1 |
| Broken Rail - Detail fracture from shelling or head check | 1 |
Counts for 2025 and 2026 to date. The sub-groups sum only the top rows. A cause "under investigation" is updated when the railroad amends its report.
Railroads with the most derailments in Maryland
By the railroad that filed the main report. Large railroads run far more train-miles, so a higher count does not by itself mean a worse safety record.
| Railroad | 2026 (to Aug) | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| CSX Transportation | 2 | 3 |
| Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) | - | 3 |
| Maryland & Delaware Railroad Company | - | 1 |
| Norfolk Southern Railway Company | - | 1 |
"-" = not in that year's top list.
Maryland derailments by county, 2025-2026
| County (as reported to FRA) | Derailments |
|---|---|
| Allegany | 3 |
| Baltimore | 3 |
| Cecil | 2 |
| Baltimore City | 1 |
| Queen Anne's | 1 |
Counties with big rail yards tend to top this list: 70% of the Maryland derailments on the map happened at a train speed of 10 mph or less.
Collisions and other train accidents in Maryland
Derailments are the largest group of rail equipment accidents. The same FRA reports also cover collisions, fires and trains hitting obstructions.
| Accident type (FRA) | 2026 (to Aug) | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Derailment | 2 | 8 |
| Side collision | 0 | 2 |
| Highway-rail crossing collision | 0 | 1 |
| Hit an obstruction | 0 | 2 |
| Other impact | 2 | 4 |
| Other (see narrative) | 3 | 7 |
| All rail equipment accidents | 7 | 24 |
Highway-rail crossing crashes appear here only when train or track damage passed the FRA threshold; most crossing crashes are reported on a separate form (FRA F 6180.57) and are not in this table.
Train derailments: FAQ
How many train derailments have there been in Maryland in 2026?
Was there a train derailment today?
What causes most train derailments?
Where can I see a map of train derailments in Maryland?
How many train derailments happen a year in the US?
Where does this data come from?
About this data
- Source: Federal Railroad Administration, Rail Equipment Accident/Incident Data (Form 54) on data.transportation.gov (readable view of the source dataset aqxq-n5hy). US government work, public domain. Cause groups: FRA train accident cause codes (Appendix C of the FRA reporting guide).
- What is counted: accidents with FRA accident type 01 (derailment) that caused damage above the FRA reporting threshold. Each accident is counted once by its FRA incident key, even when two or three railroads filed reports. Killed and injured are the accident totals; hazmat cars are added up across the railroads' reports.
- Lag: railroads report each month's accidents by the end of the following month and FRA publishes after that, so the data runs 2-3 months behind. The latest month can still rise as late reports arrive. This page re-checks FRA once a day.
- Map positions are the latitude and longitude the railroad entered on the report; a few may be approximate.
- Not included: accidents below the damage threshold, transit systems that do not report to FRA, and Canada. Canadian rail occurrence statistics are published by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.