June 30, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Bensalem police are investigating the derailment of a freight train in the area between Street Road and Neshaminy Falls Train Station on Tuesday afternoon.
A CSX freight train derailed in Bensalem Township on Tuesday afternoon, prompting authorities to advise nearby residents to shelter in place during an investigation of the overturned railcars.
The crash happened around 2:15 p.m. when an eastbound freight train pulling 72 cars derailed between Street Road and Neshaminy Falls Train Station, Bensalem Police Chief William McVey said at a news conference. A total of 16 railcars overturned, including two that were carrying hazardous materials.
"Thankfully, they were not leaking at this time," McVey said. "It is deemed safe. There's no threat to public safety. The initial threat was that there could have been a leak of the hazardous material train cars."
There were no passengers on board the train and no injuries were reported.
CSX owns freight tracks that run parallel to SEPTA's West Trenton Line, which has been suspended amid the investigation and cleanup. Aerial footage from 6ABC's Chopper 6 showed a pileup at the scene.
A freight train has derailed in Bensalem, Bucks County, with multiple cars off the tracks. https://t.co/QdQXOiZv61 pic.twitter.com/NpYqDChKxw
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) June 30, 2026
McVey did not disclose specifics about the hazardous materials on two of the train cars, but said one has an alcohol substance in it and the other contains an acid.
"In an abundance of caution, we evacuated the immediate area residents on Grove Avenue, businesses of Al's Auto, and some of the homes on Old Lincoln Highway, and we had others shelter in place until we could make that determination," McVey said.
The investigation is being handed over to CSX police, who will search for the cause of the derailment and clean up the site.
"CSX crews are currently on scene and working as safely and quickly as possible to restore the impacted site," the freight company said in a statement.
Bensalem police said Bristol Road will remain closed from Old Lincoln Highway to Brownsville Road until the area has been cleared.
"Our goal is to get this moving as quick as we can, so we can not only have the freight trains back up and moving, but also open the rails up for the SEPTA regional line again," McVey said.
