This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Release Date: 6 April 2026
On March 18, 2026, about 4:57 p.m. local time, eastbound Union Pacific Railroad (UP) intermodal freight train ILBG4-18 derailed 12 articulated intermodal railcars totaling 40 intermodal platforms near milepost 634.4 of the Yuma Subdivision near Mecca, California.[1] The derailment occurred on the main track, resulting in railroad traffic being shut down in both directions of the east-west route. The crew, consisting of an engineer and a conductor, were uninjured. Municipal authorities and the public reported local roadway and highway-railroad grade crossing closures along California Highway 111 due to the derailment and response activities. At the time of the accident, visibility conditions were clear; the weather was 102.2°F with no precipitation.
Train ILBG4-18 was traveling from Long Beach, California, to UP’s Global 4 terminal in Rochelle, Illinois. Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) also used this subdivision as a route. Train ILBG4-18 was composed of 4 locomotives and 188 intermodal platforms.[2] Although there were 13 platforms that contained ]hazardous materials, none of them derailed. Platforms 89-128 in the train consist derailed.
The train was operating on single main track and equipped with a positive train control system. The maximum authorized speed on the track was 60 mph for freight trains and 70 mph for passenger trains; the train was traveling about 40 mph at the time of the derailment. The derailment occurred in a 2° right-hand curve with a slight undulating grade that did not exceed 0.4 percent.
All aspects of the derailment remain under investigation while the National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause with the intent to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar events.
Parties to the investigation include:
- the Federal Railroad Administration;
- the California Public Utilities Commission;
- UP;
- the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers;
- the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; and
- the Brotherhood of Maintenance-of-Way Employes Division [3]
[1] Articulated intermodal railcars include multiple platforms, each the size equivalent of a railcar, that
are semipermanently coupled together and denoted as one unit. Articulated freight cars most
commonly have three or five platforms that function as a single unit.
[2] Two of the locomotives were leading the train and two were in the middle of the train serving as
distributed power units.
[3] The Brotherhood of Maintenance-of-Way Employes Division spells its name with the final “e”
omitted
