A car crashed into a freight train Monday in southwest Miami-Dade, prompting officials to shut down both directions of Bird Road as crews worked the scene. There was no immediate word yet on injuries or what led the driver into the path of the train.
Closure Hits a Known Trouble Spot
According to CBS News Miami, the car crashed into the train in southwest Miami-Dade, and officials shut down both directions of Bird Road while they responded. The tracks that cross Bird Road, also known as Southwest 40th Street, near Southwest 72nd Avenue are part of CSX's Homestead Subdivision, a local freight line, according to the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization. The line is used primarily for local industrial transport rather than passenger service, but it crosses several major commuter thoroughfares in the area.
It isn't the first time a vehicle has ended up in the path of a train in this part of the county. In February 2019, a freight train struck an occupied passenger car along Southwest 13th Terrace, destroying the vehicle and sending the driver to the hospital with injuries, per the same outlet's earlier reporting. Freight collisions aren't limited to car crossings, either — in September 2022, two CSX freight trains collided near Miami International Airport, causing a derailment, injuring four crew members, and shutting down surrounding roadways for extended emergency operations.
South Florida's Crossing Problem
The Bird Road crash lands in a region already flagged as one of the state's most dangerous for rail crossings. Between 2017 and mid-2024, Broward and Miami-Dade counties recorded 229 railroad grade crossing collisions across all passenger and freight lines, nearly 30% of Florida's statewide total of 762 crossing crashes in that span, according to CBS Miami. Federal Railroad Administration data cited by that same outlet ranks Florida fourth nationally for total highway-rail grade crossing collisions and railroad trespassing fatalities.
Nationally, the scale of the problem is significant: 2,274 highway-rail grade crossing collisions occurred across the country in 2025, resulting in 285 fatalities and 769 injuries, per Operation Lifesaver. A Florida Department of Transportation study discusses vehicles stopped on tracks and rail dynamic-envelope markings, part of the state's Operation STRIDE pavement-marking initiative.
Tougher Penalties, Quieter Trains
Drivers who go around lowered crossing gates or fail to stop at grade crossings face steeper consequences under Florida law. Violators face a $500 fine or 25 hours of community service, plus six points on their driver's license.
Meanwhile, quiet zone designations across Miami-Dade County restrict the routine horn blasts conductors would normally sound approaching a crossing, according to WLRN. Train operators may sound their horns in emergencies when they see people on the tracks.
A November 2023 assessment examined the CSX Southwest Rail Corridor and listed alternative links.
Details on injuries and the cause of Monday's train collision had not been released as of publication.
