Freight Class I Shelter-in-place order lifted after CSX derailment in Kentucky

Shelter-in-place order lifted after CSX derailment in Kentucky

By Trains Staff | December 30, 2025

No injuries reported after 31-car derailment, molten sulfur leak

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Aerial view of train derailment
No injuries were reported following the derailment of 31 cars of a CSX train near Trenton, Ky., on Dec. 30, 2025. Hopkinsville, Ky., Fire Department

TRENTON, Ky. — A shelter-in-place order has been lifted following a CSX derailment today (Dec. 30, 2025) near the Kentucky-Tennessee state line that saw a leak of molten sulfur from one car.

Thirty-one cars were involved in the derailment about today at about 6:15 a.m., according to CSX. Ash Groves, director of emergency management for Todd County, Ky., said at a press conference that CSX and Christian County, Ky., responded quickly with hazmat teams, and that the sulfur leak was contained with the assistance of local first responders. Subsequent air-quality testing allowed the lifting by noon of the shelter-in-place order, covering residences within a half-mile radius of the accident site. No injuries were reported.

“We were very fortunate that we had such a great team in Todd County,” Groves said, “and such great partners in CSX, R.J. Corman, and Christian County, because this could have been much, much worse.”

The derailment site is adjacent to U.S. Route 41, which remains closed to accommodate clean-up at the scene. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post that investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are en route to the scene.

Trenton is on CSX’s Henderson Subdivision, approximately 17 miles southeast of Hopkinsville, Ky., and about 55 miles northwest of Nashville, Tenn.

— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.

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