Three train derailments were reported in Texas in one day within only hours of each other.
A train derailed in El Paso Thursday, Aug. 20, around noon resulting in multiple road closures in Downtown and Central El Paso. The El Paso Fire Department responded to the derailment near Missouri Avenue and Cotton Street to find 18 train cars derailed, 10 of which were overturned.
Train derailments are not uncommon — the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reported 687 Class I train derailments in the U.S. in 2025, the lowest year on record and a 17% improvement over 2024 derailments. The vast majority of derailments, around 70%, occurred in rail yards or on industry tracks, while only 30% occurred on mainline tracks.
The most common causes of derailments
are misaligned couplers, shoving movements, and other minor yard incidents, according to the Association of American Railroads.
The cause of the derailment in El Paso is still unknown as the investigation was turned over to Union Pacific, which will also oversee cleanup and removal.
Lauren Macias-Cervantes, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), confirmed in an email Friday, Aug. 21, the TxDOT crews were on the scene Thursday to assess bridge conditions and nearby structures and found no damage. El Paso Police Department spokesperson Adrian Cisneros confirmed Friday that the scene had been cleared.
Derailment in Mansfield
Only a couple of hours later, two more trains derailed across Texas, the first around 2:30 p.m. in Mansfield, not far from Dallas-Fort Worth in North Texas.
A report from FOX 7 in Austin said that the Mansfield Fire Department arrived to find 10 Union Pacific train cars derailed and a small grass fire. No injuries or product leaks were reported as a result of the incident and the Mansfield Police Department and Grand Prairie Fire Department HazMat units are assisting with the cleanup effort.
Similar to the incident in El Paso, there is currently no known cause for the derailment.
Derailment in Macdona
Only 15 minutes later, in Macdona, Texas, not far from San Antonio in South Texas, another 10 Union Pacific railcars derailed, according to reporting from KENS-TV in San Antonio. The report stated that no injuries were reported and nothing was spilled as a result of the wreck.
Union Pacific did not respond to a request for comment on the three derailments across Texas this week.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso train derailment first in string of Texas train wrecks
