(The following story by Hayley Kappes appeared on the Galveston Daily News website on February 22, 2010.)
SANTA FE, Texas — About half of the 22 train cars that derailed last Thursday near FM 646 South and state Highway 6 have been removed, police said.
The 10 remaining cars carried liquid propane, and tanker trucks will remove the liquid from each car, Santa Fe police Sgt. Eric Bruss said.
Workers will begin burning off excess propane fumes today, after the liquid has been removed from each car, Bruss said. The process will take about two days.
Santa Fe fire officials will supervise the burn, which will not pose public safety risks, Bruss said.
The railroad crossing at FM 646 South and state Highway 6 still is closed. Only one lane is open eastbound on state Highway 6 near the accident location.
Bruss said he is not sure how much longer the cleanup would take. Burlington Northern Santa Fe workers, contractors and environmental agencies have been working on the cleanup 24 hours a day, Bruss said.
“They’ve made a dynamic amount of progress the last few days,” he said. “Approaches to railroad crossings have been repaired, a new lighting system is in place and trains have been running on the track routinely.”
The derailment’s cause has not been determined yet, Bruss said.
Last week’s accident caused evacuations of nearby residents and businesses.
Tibaldo’s Feed and Supply, 12011 state Highway 6, was closed Thursday and had few customers Friday and Saturday, owner Ricky Tibaldo said.
“A lot of people still didn’t know we were open because of all the cleanup crews and equipment out front,” he said. “Hopefully this week we’ll return to normal business.”
Several cars derailed directly behind Tibaldo’s store, and wheel collided into the back of the building. During the weekend, workers still were removing oil that had leaked from a tanker and collected in a ditch in front of the store.
Tibaldo said BNSF representatives told him they will compensate him for business lost and damage done to the store. He didn’t know the exact amount he would receive.
“They’re working really well with me,” he said. “They told me anything I needed they’ll take care of.”