(The following story by Emily Hagedorn appeared on the Louisville Courier-Journal website on October 29.)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The charred train cars from the 2007 CSX derailment in Bullitt County are being hauled away, company officials said.
All federal and legal holds on the site have been lifted, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. The trains should be removed at the site off Huber Station Road by late this week or early next week.
Next, the company will remove affected soil, level the area and plant seeds, Sease said.
CSX Transportation continues to file regular reports with the state Department of Environmental Protection, he said.
“It will be behind us,” Sease said.
The cars were among 25 that derailed Jan. 16, 2007.
The train was carrying chemicals considered hazardous, and several cars caught fire. Some residents were hospitalized due to smoke and fume inhalation.
Several lawsuits have been filed, and a $3 million settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit was reached earlier this month.
About 17,000 people are eligible for claims, and residents have until Nov. 28 to file.
For information on the settlement, call (800) 345-0837 or go online at www.bullittcountytrainderailment.com.