WASHINGTON — A Canadian National train making a shove move backed into Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, then backed up and hit the passenger train a second time, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on the Feb. 22, 2026, collision near Memphis.
The incident at about 11 a.m. led to minor injuries to two Amtrak employees and two passengers among the seven crew members and 118 passengers on board [see “Passengers injured in low-speed collision …,” Trains.com, Feb. 22, 2026].
The CN train, referred to as an Illinois Central train in the report, was traveling about 10 mph at the time of the initial collision. Crew members on the CN train told NTSB investigators that they believed that collision was resistance from an air brake problem, so they pulled forward and reversed again, striking the City of New Orleans a second time at lower speed about three minutes after the initial collision.
The Amtrak train had advanced past a restricting signal at restricted speed, then stopped when it saw the CN train. The freight train of two locomotives and 82 cars had received dispatcher permission to conduct its switching moves which involved setting out 21 cars on Main Track 1, picking up 61 cars at an intermodal yard, then recoupling with the 21-car cut. The train was backing up to pick up its conductor, who had directed the switching moves from the ground, when it struck the Amtrak train.
The report says all aspects of the incident remain under investigation as the NTSB “determines the probable cause with the intent to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar events.”
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
Share this article
Did they back into the front or rear of the Amtrak train?
There is no way I would have ever thought that as 2 collision accident would have happened that way. Wonder if Amtrak tried to call CN telling it to stop?