(The following appeared on The Louisville Courier-Journal website on October 15.)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Railroad cars at the site of the 2006 CSX train derailment in Bullitt County are being dismantled but not removed, Zoneton Fire Chief Rob Orkies said yesterday.
Work on the cars began Monday at the site off Huber Station Road. There are 13 cars at the site.
The cars cannot be removed from the site because the National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating, Orkies said.
The cars were among 25 that derailed Jan. 16, 2006. More than a dozen, including some that contained hazardous materials, caught fire, and some residents were hospitalized because of smoke and fumes.
Several lawsuits have been filed, and a $3 million settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit was tentatively approved in late August. Possible claimants in that lawsuit are being notified.