Ten freight cars derailed near 75th Street and Central Park Avenue on Chicago's Southwest Side early Thursday, along the line that divides the Ashburn and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods. Five of the 10 cars were turned on their sides, four were leaning, and only one set of trucks on the tenth car derailed. CSX said the partial derailment happened overnight and caused no injuries, no hazardous material spills, and no disruption to vehicle traffic at nearby crossings. All 10 cars were empty.
According to CBS Chicago, the derailment occurred early Thursday and involved 10 cars near the rail corridor. Five of the 10 cars were turned on their sides, four were leaning, and only one set of trucks on the tenth car derailed. The outlet reported that CSX confirmed no crossings were affected by the incident, and the cause of the derailment remained under investigation as of Thursday morning. Separately, CSX officials told other outlets the cars came off the tracks around 2:55 a.m., as reported by Fox 32 Chicago.
A Chokepoint Already Under Construction
The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is a cornerstone of Chicago's CREATE Program, aimed at untangling one of the most congested freight and passenger rail chokepoints in the country, per RailPrime. That density is not incidental — Chicago handles roughly a quarter of all U.S. freight rail traffic and nearly half the country's intermodal traffic, moving almost 500 freight and 760 passenger trains daily, according to the Association of American Railroads.
CSX operates more than 20,000 route miles, serves Washington, D.C., and Canada, and averages 1,848 trains a day, per corporate operational disclosures from the company.
Investment Nearby, But Risk Persists
RailPrime reported an opening ribbon-cutting for the Forest Hill Flyover in November 2025. About 35 freight trains operate daily on CSX’s Western Avenue Corridor, and the flyover reduces freight-train and Metra delays, according to RailPrime. In July, city and transportation leaders broke ground on the 71st Street Grade Separation Project, a CREATE initiative intended to reduce neighborhood traffic delays and improve safety, as reported by Trains Magazine.
Thursday's derailment is not an isolated event in the region this year. In May, freight cars jumped the tracks near 140th Street in suburban Posen, close to a major roadway crossing, without causing injuries, as Hoodline reported at the time. As of Thursday morning, CSX had not announced a cause for the Ashburn derailment, and the investigation remained ongoing.
