7 train cars derailed under US 59 near Carr Street in Houston's Fifth Ward: Union Pacific Railroad

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Union Pacific Railroad confirms seven train cars derailed under US 59 near Carr Street in Houston's Fifth Ward.

The cars, which were carrying grain, derailed on June 3 at around 8:30 p.m., according to a Union Pacific spokesperson.

"What if it had been chemicals? We have a community here. We have a school here." Fifth Ward resident Walter Mallett said, referencing the derailment's proximity to Houston Independent School District's DAEP campus.

Mallett also noted derailed cars resting along pillars supporting the freeway.

"What if they had taken a couple of these pillars out?" he asked.

A Union Pacific spokesperson told ABC13 the cause of this derailment remains under investigation. The railroad is required to submit a report on the incident to the Federal Railroad Administration. An FRA spokesperson told ABC13 it will likely be several months until the report is complete and made public.

When contacted on Monday, six days after the derailment, the UPRR spokesperson said clean up is "expected to get underway this week."

"This is wrong at the end of the day. This is wrong," Fifth Ward resident Sandra Edwards said.

ABC13 has interviewed Edwards previously about a seperate Union Pacific-owned industrial contamination site under investigation with Superfund Authority in the neighborhood.

"Union Pacific is not a good neighbor," she contended.

Edwards told ABC13 she feels the prolonged cleanup sends a clear message to the neighborhood, where US Census Bureau data shows the median household sat below $40,000 in 2022.

"We don't care about you," she said. "As if we are not important. We are not people. We are animals, livestock."

ABC13 contacted Union Pacific regarding residents' concerns.

They provided a statement that read in part, "This was a derailment involving rail cars carrying grain. There were no injuries, no public safety risk, and no environmental hazard."

"Union Pacific, get off your butt, get over here, and get this up," Edwards said.

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