| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 702 | 2009-03-08 | Troop A | Final Update to Train Derailment |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent TROOP A - NEWS RELEASE Crews to Work through the Night on Train Derailment FINAL UPDATE – Molten sulfur tank removed, roadway opened, shelter-in-place lifted. LA 1 at the bridge in Plaquemine will remain a two-way road on the northbound side. Southbound side will remain closed on the bridge. Plaquemine P.D. will handle all traffic control from this point. UPDATE – Crews have completed rebuilding the train trestle. State Police, Plaquemine P.D., and Iberville S.O. have closed LA 1 from LA 992-3, south of the Plaquemine city limits to LA 1148, north of the city limits. Officials have issued a shelter-in-place for the Best Western Hotel and businesses in the immediate area as a safety precaution. Officials continue to perform air quality monitoring. The shelter-in-place order and road closure will continue as crews remove the molten sulfur tank car from the train trestle. Louisiana State Troopers have been working closely with Mayor Tony Gulotta other local, state, and federal officials to ensure the public’s safety. BATON ROUGE – Just after 5:00 a.m. this morning, a portion of a Union Pacific train derailed on a train trestle near LA 1 in Plaquemine. The train was traveling south, approaching the train trestle when five of its tank cars derailed. Of the five tank cars, two were Styrene residue tank cars and two were Anhydrous Ammonia residue tank cars. The four tank cars were residual tanks (chemicals had been off-loaded, but tanks had not yet been cleaned out). The fifth tank car was loaded with approximately 20 tons of Molten Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide). This tank car struck the side of the bridge, was breached, and a small amount of the Molten Sulfur leaked out of the tank. Louisiana State Police, Plaquemine Police Department, Iberville Sheriff’s Office, Department of Environmental Quality, Union Pacific Railroad, Plaquemine Fire Department, local officials, and many other agencies have been working in cooperation throughout the day and into the night. As of 8:00 p.m. tonight, the northbound side of LA 1 has been reopened to traffic for travel in both directions. The southbound lanes will remain closed until all work is completed. Officials lifted the “Shelter in Place” for residents and businesses in the immediate area. Air quality tests have shown throughout the day that the air quality was good. The “Shelter in Place” was issued as a precautionary measure only. Officials primary concern throughout has been public safety. They will continue air monitoring throughout the night and tomorrow. After removing four of the five derailed tank cars, officials were able to inspect the wooden portion of the north end of the train trestle, and decided to rebuild this portion before attempting to retrieve the remaining tank car loaded with Molten Sulfur. Crews will work on the trestle through the night and into tomorrow. Once the trestle has been rebuilt, crews plan to remove the remaining tank car from the rail, repair the rail, and complete the cleanup as quickly as can be done safely. Officials have worked very hard to ensure public safety through continuous air quality testing and the precautionary “Shelter in Place” order. Citizens can call the Union Pacific Railroad Public Information Hotline at 877-877-2567 with questions or concerns regarding the incident.
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