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Montana Train Derailments 2026

Quick answer: Montana had 5 train derailments in 2026 through August, the latest month in the FRA data, compared with 10 in January-August 2025 (-50%). 2025 ended with 16 derailments. FRA figures run 2-3 months behind: for a derailment today, see accidents today.

Updated 2 November 2026 · 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 Montana accidents today.

Derailments 2026

January-August (FRA)

Same period 2025

-50% change

With hazmat cars damaged

0 with a hazmat release, 2026

0 / 0

Killed / injured

in derailments, 2026 to date

Map · 2025-2026

Montana train derailment map

Every derailment in Montana 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.

Year

State

Hazardous materials

Train

21 derailments shown

Death, or hazmat released Injuries, or hazmat cars damaged No injuries or hazmat damage Bigger dot = more cars derailed

Latest records

Latest train derailments in Montana

Newest first, as filed by the railroads. Filters above also apply to this list.

Date	Place	Railroad	Cars	Hazmat	Hurt	Cause (FRA)	Report
2026-08-03	Butte, Silver Bow County	Union Pacific Railroad Company	4	none	none	Switch not latched or locked Railroad's description MDIDI-03 DURING SWITCHING OPERATIONS, MOVEMENT PROCEEDED THROUGH A TURNOUT WHERE THE SWITCH HAD NOTBEEN FULLY ALIGNED AND SECURED WITH THE HOOK AND LOCK MECHANISM, LEAVING THE SWITCH POINT IN AN INTERMEDIATE, UNSECURED ("FLOATED") POSITION. SUBSEQUENT SHIFTING OPERATIONS INVOLVING MULTIPLE PUSH ANDPULL MOVEMENTS WER...	FRA
2026-06-01	Sunburst, Toole County	BNSF Railway Company	6	none	none	Roadbed settled or soft Railroad's description R-MON8241-01G PULLING ON INDUSTRY TRACK DERAILED 6 RAILCARS DUE TO ROADBED SETTLED OR SOFT AND THE DERAILED RAILCARS CONTINUED ON TO BNSF MAINTAINED TRACK CAUSING DAMAGE TO BNSF TRACK. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2026-05-20	Missoula, Missoula County	BNSF Railway Company	2	2 damaged	none	Failure to apply sufficient number of hand brakes on car(s) (railroad employee) Railroad's description YMIS212119 PINNED LOADS AGAINST A STANDING CUT CAUSING ALL CARS TO ROLL OUT AND HIT A STANDING CUT OF RAILCARS FOR ANOTHER JOB. DERAILED 2 RAILCARS DAMAGING 4 MORE IN TOTAL. NO HAZMAT RELEASE. NO TRACK DAMAGE.	FRA
2026-03-19	Browning, Glacier County	BNSF Railway Company	1	none	none	Extreme environmental condition - EXTREME WIND VELOCITY Railroad's description Z-SSECHC2-18U PULLING ON SINGLE MAIN TRACK DERAILED 1 (DOUBLE STACK) RAILCAR DUE TO EXTREME ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION - EXTREME WIND VELOCITY. 79 MPH WIND RECORDINGS. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2026-03-05	Laurel, Yellowstone County	BNSF Railway Company	1	7 in train	none	Coupling speed excessive Railroad's description YLAU221205 RCO KICKING RAILCARS DERAILED 1 AND DAMAGED 2 DUE TO EXCESSIVE COUPLING SPEED. NO HAZMATRELEASE.	FRA
2025-12-13	Dutton, Teton County	BNSF Railway Company	5	none	none	Snow, ice, mud, gravel, coal, sand, etc. on track Railroad's description XLVWCIM912 SHOVING INDUSTRY TRACK DERAILED 5 RAILCARS DUE TO ICE ON A PRIVATE CROSSING. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-12-09	Redstone, Sheridan County	BNSF Railway Company	11	none	none	Failure to properly secure hand brake on car(s) (railroad employee) Railroad's description XGLSGLS607 STORING RAILCARS ON OOS TRACK DERAILED 13 RAILCARS AFTER LEAVING THEM UNATTENDED WITH HGX'S CUT ALLOWING THEM TO ROLL OUT AND COLLIDE AT THE CUTS DUE TO FAILURE TO PROPERLY SECURE HAND BRAKE ON CAR(S) (RAILROAD EMPLOYEE). NO HAZMAT RELEASE. THESE ARE ARTICULATED RAILCARS. 02/25/2026 - PER RAILROAD #26 IT...	FRA
2025-12-09	Billings, Yellowstone County	BNSF Railway Company	2	none	none	Failure to apply sufficient number of hand brakes on car(s) (railroad employee) Railroad's description YBIL103109 CUT AWAY FROM A CUT OF RAILCARS THAT ROLLED OUT DUE TO FAILURE TO APPLY SUFFICIENT NUMBEROF HAND BRAKES ON CAR(S) (RAILROAD EMPLOYEE) STRIKING A OUTBOUND MOVING TRAIN DERAILING 2 RAILCARS.NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-10-10	Laurel, Yellowstone County	BNSF Railway Company	2	1 damaged	none	Failure to properly secure hand brake on car(s) (railroad employee) Railroad's description YLAU335209 RCO HAD A CUT OF RAILCARS ROLLOUT DUE TO FAILURE TO PROPERLY SECURE HAND BRAKE ON CAR(S)(RAILROAD EMPLOYEE). RAILCARS HIT ANOTHER STANDING CUT OF CARS ON ANOTHER JOB DERAILING 2 RAILCARS.NO HAZMAT RELEASE. NO TRACK DAMAGE.	FRA
2025-09-17	Laurel, Yellowstone County	BNSF Railway Company	5	22 in train	none	Shoving movement, absence of man on or at leading end of movement Railroad's description YLAU330216 RCO PULLING ON YARD TRACK STRUCK A MOVING OUTBOUND TRAIN DUE TO SHOVING MOVEMENT, ABSENCEOF MAN ON OR AT LEADING END OF MOVEMENT. 2 LOCOMOTIVES, 3 RAILCARS DERAILED. 2000 GALLONS OF LOCOMOTIVE FUEL RELEASED. NO INJURIES	FRA
2025-09-06	Essex, Flathead County	BNSF Railway Company	7	3 in train	none	Other brake components damaged, worn, broken, or disconnected Railroad's description HNTWPAS104 ON MAIN2 TRACK DERAILED RAILCARS DUE TO AIR LOSS FROM THE AIR HOSE TRIGGERED A BUFF EVENT, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY LED TO AN UNINTENDED BRAKE RELEASE. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-08-25	Havre, Hill County	BNSF Railway Company	5	2 in train	none	Objects such as lading chains or straps fouling switches Railroad's description YHVR301124 SHOVING YARD TRACK DERAILED 5 RAILCARS DUE TO OBJECTS SUCH AS LADING CHAINS OR STRAPS FOULING SWITCHES. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-08-08	Great Falls, Cascade County	BNSF Railway Company	2	none	none	Broken Rail - Detail fracture from shelling or head check Railroad's description YGRF301107 SHOVING YARD TRACK DERAILED 2 RAILCARS DUE TO BROKEN RAIL. BROKEN RAIL - DETAIL FRACTUREFROM SHELLING OR HEAD CHECK. NO HAZMAT RELEASE. NO INJURIES	FRA
2025-07-13	Shelby, Toole County	BNSF Railway Company	2	none	none	Derail, failure to apply or remove Railroad's description R-MON8221-13 SHOVING BNSF MAINTAINED INDUSTRY TRACK LINED THE SWITCH BUT NOT THE DERAIL AND DERAILED2 RAILCARS DUE TO DERAIL, FAILURE TO APPLY OR REMOVE. NO HAZMAT RELEASES.	FRA
2025-07-08	Hardin, Big Horn County	BNSF Railway Company	1	none	none	Roadbed settled or soft Railroad's description C-NAMBEN0-59B WAS PULLING OUT OF SIDING TRACK AND DERAILED 1 RAILCAR AND CAUSED DAMAGED TO SWITCH AND TRACK DUE TO ROADBED SETTLED OR SOFT. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-06-16	Forsyth, Rosebud County	BNSF Railway Company	8	none	none	Track alignment irregular (buckled/sunkink) Railroad's description CSCMSUD050 ON SINGLE MAIN TRACK DERAILED 8 RAILCARS DUE TO TRACK ALIGNMENT IRREGULAR (BUCKLED/SUNKINK). NO HAZMAT RELEASE. NO INJURIES.	FRA
2025-05-09	Glendive, Dawson County	BNSF Railway Company	3	2 damaged	none	Throttle (power), improper use Railroad's description H-LAUDIL-1-08A SHOVING YARD TRACK DERAILED 3 RAILCARS DUE TO THROTTLE (POWER), IMPROPER USE AND AUTOMATIC BRAKE, EXCESSIVE. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-04-17	Great Falls, Cascade County	BNSF Railway Company	4	none	none	Broken Rail - Head and web separation (outside joint bar limits) Railroad's description GKSHKAH917 PULLING ON YARD TRACK DERAILED 4 RAILCARS DUE TO HEAD AND WEB SEPARATION (OUTSIDE JOINT BAR LIMITS). NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-02-24	Miles City, Custer County	BNSF Railway Company	26	none	none	Extreme environmental condition - FLOOD Railroad's description CNAMBEN020 DERAILED 26 RAILCARS AND DAMAGED OTHER ON SINGLE MAIN TRACK DUE TO EXTREME ENVIRONMENTALCONDITION - FLOOD. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-02-16	Poplar, Roosevelt County	BNSF Railway Company	17	none	none	Broken Rail - Detail fracture from shelling or head check Railroad's description GVEAWAW914 ON SINGLE MAIN TRACK DERAILED 17 RAILCARS DUE TO BROKEN RAIL - DETAIL FRACTURE FROM SHELLING OR HEAD CHECK. NO HAZMAT RELEASE.	FRA
2025-01-22	Laurel, Yellowstone County	BNSF Railway Company	1	none	none	Object or equipment on or fouling track - other than above (for vandalism, see code M503) Railroad's description YLAU22422 RCO SHOVING DERAILED 1 LOCOMOTIVE DUE TO A BROKEN KNUCKLE FOULING THE RAIL NOT AT A SWITCH. 1400 GALLONS OF DIESEL RELEASED.	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 21.

News reports · last 30 days

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.

28/10 30 People Died As Fatal Train Accident Postpone Copa Del Rey Matches www.yardbarker.com · United States

28/10 ‘Thoughts & Prayers’: Sergio Garcia Breaks Silence With Message for Victims After Deadly Train Crash Claims 68 Lives www.essentiallysports.com · United States

Trend · 2015-2026

Montana 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".

Why trains derail

Top causes of train derailments in Montana

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) · 5 derailments

Human factors (crew actions and rules)

3 · 60%

Track defects (rails, ties, switches, roadbed)

1 · 20%

Other: weather, loading, obstructions, unknown

1 · 20%

2025 · 16 derailments

Human factors (crew actions and rules)

6 · 38%

Track defects (rails, ties, switches, roadbed)

5 · 31%

Other: weather, loading, obstructions, unknown

4 · 25%

Equipment failures (cars and locomotives)

1 · 6%

Sub-group (2025-2026)	Derailments
Hand brakes and securing parked cars	4
Weather and debris: snow, ice, flood, tornado, high wind	3
Broken rails, joint bars, ties and fasteners	3
Roadbed: soft, settled or washed-out ground	2
Switching moves: shoving, coupling, derails left on	2
Unusual situations: objects on track, wheel-rail forces	2
Switches lined wrong, not locked or run through	1
Excessive speed	1
Brake equipment	1
Track geometry: wide gauge, misaligned or buckled track	1

Most common exact causes (FRA wording)	Derailments
Roadbed settled or soft	2
Failure to apply sufficient number of hand brakes on car(s) (railroad employee)	2
Failure to properly secure hand brake on car(s) (railroad employee)	2
Broken Rail - Detail fracture from shelling or head check	2
Switch not latched or locked	1
Extreme environmental condition - EXTREME WIND VELOCITY	1
Coupling speed excessive	1
Snow, ice, mud, gravel, coal, sand, etc. on track	1
Shoving movement, absence of man on or at leading end of movement	1
Other brake components damaged, worn, broken, or disconnected	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

Railroads with the most derailments in Montana

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
BNSF Railway Company	4	16
Union Pacific Railroad Company	1	-

"-" = not in that year's top list.

By county

Montana derailments by county, 2025-2026

County (as reported to FRA)	Derailments
Yellowstone	5
Toole	2
Cascade	2
Silver Bow	1
Missoula	1
Glacier	1
Teton	1
Sheridan	1
Flathead	1
Hill	1
Big Horn	1
Rosebud	1

Counties with big rail yards tend to top this list: 76% of the Montana derailments on the map happened at a train speed of 10 mph or less.

All train accidents

Collisions and other train accidents in Montana

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	5	16
Rear-end collision	1	0
Highway-rail crossing collision	0	2
Other impact	0	3
Other (see narrative)	1	1
All rail equipment accidents	7	22

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.

Questions

Train derailments: FAQ

How many train derailments have there been in Montana in 2026?

FRA accident reports show 5 train derailments in Montana from January to August 2026, against 10 in the same months of 2025. The most recent months can still grow as late reports arrive. Each derailment is counted once even when two railroads reported it.

Was there a train derailment today?

Official FRA data runs about 2-3 months behind (the latest record is from 31 August 2026). For derailments reported in the last 24 hours, see the accidents today page and the live map on our home page, which pull rail accident reports from news sources every 15 minutes.

What causes most train derailments?

In 2025-2026 FRA data for Montana, the most common cause group is human factors (crew actions and rules) (43% of derailments with a coded cause). Track problems such as wide gauge from bad crossties and broken rails, and human factors such as switches lined wrong and shoving moves in yards, lead the list. 76% of the derailments mapped here happened at 10 mph or less, typically in yards and sidings.

Where can I see a map of train derailments in Montana?

The map on this page shows every derailment in Montana reported to the FRA for 2025 and 2026, coloured by severity: red when someone died or hazardous material was released, amber for injuries or damaged hazmat cars.

How many train derailments happen a year in the US?

Between 2015 and 2025, FRA data counts roughly 991 to 1,377 train derailments a year in the United States (991 in 2025). Only accidents above the FRA damage reporting threshold are counted.

Where does this data come from?

From the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA): railroads must file Form FRA F 6180.54 for every rail equipment accident above a damage threshold. The data is published on data.transportation.gov and is US government public domain.

Sources and method

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.