Update on Thursday, April 23, at 8:42 a.m.: In a media briefing, APD Public Information Office team member Corporal Matthew Nonweiler shared that just before 5 a.m., police received a call about the train derailment. A couple of roads were closed as a result.
Nonweiler emphasized that no one was injured and the train is not a passenger car; it carries cargo.
A cargo train derailed in the downtown area of Austin, Texas, on Thursday, April 23, 2026, according to the Austin Police Department. (Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images)
Staff from the Union Pacific and the Texas Railroad Commission are on their way to the site to investigate the incident. He does not know how long it will take for the agencies to arrive and expects crews to be working in the area for multiple hours. The main closure impacting morning commuters is at 1300 West Oltorf Street and Mary Street, Nonweiler says.
Nonweiler, who has worked in Austin’s downtown for the last decade, says this is the first Austin derailment in his recent memory. KUT reports a derailment occurred on the city’s east side in October 2024.
“Don’t know what caused it, but I know that there’s no danger to the public. “It’s a pretty jarring eyesight, but nobody’s injured.”
Union Pacific and the Texas Railroad Commission will determine the cause of the derailment. In total, the train carries 230 cars, per Nonweiler.
A train derailment in Austin on Thursday morning, April 23 has shuttered-east west access across several city roads. (Courtesy of City of Austin)
Original story:
Texas authorities are asking Austin residents to avoid an area after a train derailed on Thursday, April 23. Police shared the warning in a statement at around 5:15 a.m.
Spokesperson for Union Pacific, Robynn Tysver, tells MySA that approximately seven Union Pacific intermodal train cars derailed south of the intersection of Bowie Street and West 3rd Street. The site is located in the city’s downtown, not far from the Capitol.
“Expect delays and closures as crews work in the area. Avoid the area if possible and stay safe,” the Austin Police Department (APD) said in a post on X.
APD shared that the train derailment is also blocking the railroad crossings at 1300 West Oltorf Street and Mary Street. Officers are on the scene to assist. Drivers who need to pass these ways should take an alternate route. According to Tysver, the crossings are expected to reopen within the hour.
“No one was injured, and no hazmat was involved,” Tysver says. “The cars were carrying mixed commodities.”
Union Pacific says the cause of the incident is under investigation. MySA reached out to APD for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information as it comes into our newsroom.
This article originally published at Details emerge after 7 train cars derail in Central Texas.