Updated Oct. 7, 2026, 4:15 p.m. ET
A mechanical malfunction caused a CSX freight train to derail June 30 in Bucks County.The derailment resulted in over $1.2 million in damages.Sixteen cars derailed, including two carrying hazardous materials, which prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order.
A mechanical malfunction was responsible for a freight train derailment earlier this year that caused more than $1 million in damages, and disrupted two Bucks County towns and thousands of rail commuters.
An investigation into the June 30 accident involving a CSX Transportation freight train found the derailment was caused by a journal bearing that overheated and failed, according to a recent report filed with the Federal Railroad Administration.
On freight trains a journal bearing is a mechanical assembly on the end of a wheelset axle that supports the weight of the car and allows the wheelsets and axles to rotate smoothly.
If lubrication runs low or dries out, the bearing overheats, a dangerous situation known as a hot box that can lead to derailment, according to Trains.com
The derailment resulted in more than $1.2 million in damages to train equipment and track structural damage, according to the report, which CSX submitted its accident investigation to the Federal Railroad Administration, as required whenever a train leaves the tracks.
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Two CSX employees were aboard the freight traveling eastbound at 35-mph carrying 25 empty cars and 31 with freight, including hazardous materials, according to the accident investigation report.
The report listed the total number of freight cars as 56, which is lower than the 72 cars reported the day of the accident, and it put the number of cars that derailed at 17, not 16, as was initially reported.
The train was in the area of Street Road and the Neshaminy Falls commuter rail station in Bensalem when the cars toward the rear of the train jumped the tracks and toppled into a roadbed., authorities said.
After authorities learned two of the toppled cars carried hazardous materials, emergency management officials shut down part of Bristol Road, initiated a shelter-in-place alert, and evacuated nearby residents in Bensalem and Lower Southampton.
No injuries were reported as a result of the accident and no evacuation, according to the CSX report. After two hours authorities confirmed no hazardous chemicals had spilled or leaked and rescinded the emergency alerts.
The CSX crews were called to the scene and they worked overnight to upright the freight cars, restore and reopen the tracks for freight service the next day.
So far this year, six train derailments have been reported in Bucks County, and two have been reported in neighboring Montgomery County, according to Federal Railroad Administration data.
A CSX freight train carrying a “nonhazardous food commodity” left the tracks Oct. 2 in Morrisville near Delmorr Avenue, leading to hours-long road closures in the borough. The derailed cars remains upright and no injuries were reported.
Bucks County currently ranks as fourth highest in the state for train derailments since 2022 with 24 reported; Montgomery County ranked seventh for the same time period.
A total of 342 train derailments have been reported in Pennsylvania since 2022, according to federal data..
Crime and Courts reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com