​​This information is preliminary and subject to change.

​On December 13, 2025, about 2:13 a.m. local time, a conductor assigned to CSX Transportation (CSX) train E23712 sustained fatal injuries while performing a switching operation near milepost 421.5 on the South and North Alabama South (S&NA South) Subdivision Main Track near Calera, Alabama.[1] The conductor was riding on railcar PMRX 20258, which was being shoved from the S&NA Main Track into Varnon’s Auxiliary Track.[2]  During that shoving movement, the railcar on which the conductor was riding struck another railcar (CSXT 376000) that had been cut from the train and had been left on the S&NA main track. 

​The collision caused three railcars to derail. The conductor was killed when the railcar he was riding overturned and crushed him. There were no other fatalities or injuries. It was dark at the time of the accident; there was no artificial lighting, and the temperature was about 50°F with no precipitation.

The crew of train E23712 consisted of one engineer and one conductor. The train was composed of 2 locomotives and 181 empty railcars; it originated in Mobile, Alabama, and was scheduled to terminate in Bessemer, Alabama—a distance of about 230 miles.

While on scene, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators examined railroad equipment and track conditions; performed sight distance observations; simulated conditions at the time of the accident; reviewed radio, event, image, and surveillance recordings; and completed interviews with the locomotive engineer and manager of train operations.

The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on industry hazard identification and mitigation strategies, CSX rules and procedures related to leaving railcars clear of adjacent tracks, and internal and external oversight.

Parties to the investigation include:

• the Federal Railroad Administration; 
• the Alabama Public Service Commission; 
• CSX; 
• the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; and 
• the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.