BRANCHTON, Pa. — People who live on Branchton Road tell Channel 11 they noticed a train coming through their neighborhood moving slowly around 6:40 p.m. Thursday.
“I was sitting in the living room and I only heard a big screech and a bang, and I thought, ‘something must have happened to the train,’” said Charlene Christy. “It was pretty loud.”
Canadian National Railway tells Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek that 25 train cars carrying iron pellets derailed from the tracks.
“It looks like cans that just went through a crusher,” said a woman who lives nearby. “I mean, it’s like a movie scene that you couldn’t even describe, I guess.”
The derailment shut Branchton Road down for about an hour and a half. Some neighbors said the detour was more than 30 minutes long.
Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek reached out to Canadian National Railway. Ashley Michnowski, a spokesperson with CN, sent a statement on the derailment.
“CN crews continue to respond to a derailment that occurred Thursday, January 1st, 2026, at approximately 6:40 p.m. local time, one mile from Branchton, PA.
Approximately 25 cars of loaded iron pellets derailed in various positions. There are no reports of injuries or fires, and there is no impact to public health or safety. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
CN would like to apologize for the inconveniences caused by this incident and thank local emergency services for their assistance.”
Crews on Friday were busy working to clean up those derailed train cars. That work started late Thursday night.
“They set up lights and they started working,” one woman said. “It sounded, honestly, like earthquakes happening. I think the train was honestly falling off the tracks as they were trying to pull it.”
That neighbor, who didn’t want to be on camera, tells Channel 11 she’s frustrated with the lack of communication from the railroad. She didn’t know the railroad said there was no danger until we told her about the statement CN sent to Channel 11.
“It took you asking them what happened. I mean, they’re not reporting on it willingly,” she said.
Channel 11 saw crews bringing in new track pieces. There’s no word on when that train track will be reopened.
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