Another train derails in the City of Ocala near apartment complex

At least five train cars derailed around 11 a.m. Friday, near the 2200 block of Southeast 14th Avenue in Ocala, behind the Cypresside apartment complex.

The derailment happened on the same Northern Florida Railroad line where a June 19 incident disrupted traffic on Northwest 10th Street. No injuries were reported in either case.

The tracks run through several residential neighborhoods in southeast Ocala. At the Cypressside complex, apartment patios sit just 40 feet from the rail line. One family, who did not want to provide their names, said they didn’t hear the derailment. They were alerted something was wrong when their 3-year-old daughter, who often watches trains pass through the backyard, reacted differently than usual.

Officials have not released details about what caused the derailment or what type of materials were being transported.

In the June 19 incident, at least four train cars carrying rock derailed near Evergreen Cemetery. A section of steel rail was observed by a *Gazette* reporter to have pulled away from the track timbers.

The rail line, which runs from Lowell to Candler and cuts through downtown Ocala, is operated by Northern Florida Railroad. The company did not respond to requests for comment on either the June or July derailments before publishing.

Concerns about the safety and condition of the line have been raised publicly. During a Sept. 17, 2024, Marion County Commission hearing, residents and local officials voiced opposition to increased traffic on the corridor. The hearing focused on a special-use permit for Advanced Drainage Systems, which proposed manufacturing plastic piping and shipping it by rail.

City of Ocala and Marion County School Board officials supported an alternative plan to convert the corridor into a multi-use trail — an idea dismissed by Northern Florida Railroad and CSX representatives.

Several southeast Ocala residents at the hearing criticized the proximity of the tracks to homes and the lack of traffic and safety studies addressing the effects of heavier rail use.

Train derailment on the Northern Florida Railroad line that runs from Lowell to Candler on July 25, 2025 at the 2200 block of SE 14 Ave. [Jennifer Hunt Murty/Ocala Gazette]

Another train derails in Ocala near apartment complex

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