11 vehicle rail cars derail near Old Katy Road in northwest Houston

Traffic near Old Katy Road and Hempstead Road backed up quickly Friday morning after 11 rail cars carrying finished vehicles derailed in northwest Houston, leaving at least two cars hanging over an overpass and forcing road closures in one of the city’s busiest freight corridors. Old Katy Road was blocked in both directions near Hempstead Road, and officials warned that more shutdowns near Hempstead and Washington Avenue could follow as crews worked the scene.

Houston police said the first call came in at about 8:55 a.m. as a train crash. Officials later confirmed that no one was injured and no hazardous materials were involved, an important distinction in a part of Harris County where rail lines run close to homes, shops and commuter routes. The train was identified as a Canadian Pacific Kansas City, or CPKC, train, even though the derailment happened on Union Pacific tracks over Hempstead Road.

That mix of operators underscored how complicated rail response can become in dense urban Houston. Union Pacific said it had been notified, while crews worked to remove the derailed cars and secure the track before traffic could fully reopen. KHOU 11 reported that Hempstead Road at Washington Avenue was closed and that the cleanup timeline remained unclear, leaving commuters, nearby businesses and drivers headed through the Memorial Park area to work around a major blockage.

The scene drew immediate attention because the rail cars were visibly suspended over the bridge, with ABC13 Houston reporting that at least two cars were hanging over the overpass. Even without injuries or dangerous cargo, the derailment created the kind of disruption that can ripple through northwest Houston for hours, especially when recovery crews must upright rail cars and inspect the bridge, track and roadway below before reopening the corridor.

The incident also raised a larger question for residents in Harris County: how often derailments like this happen on Houston’s rail network, and what safeguards are in place when finished vehicles are moving through crowded neighborhoods. ABC13 Houston reported a similar derailment in Houston’s East End on Nov. 26, 2025, when seven empty rail cars went off the tracks and triggered evacuations and road closures. For northwest Houston, Friday’s derailment was another reminder that freight rail can turn into a neighborhood problem fast, even when the cargo is not hazardous.