Hazardous chemical leak after Louisiana train derails
 

Hazardous chemical leak after Louisiana train derails.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/23571952

About 100 homes have been evacuated in Louisiana in the US after a derailed train wagon leaked toxic chemicals.

More than 20 train wagons went off tracks west of Baton Rouge at 15:30 local time (20:30 GMT) on Sunday.

Thanks Syd for the link. Seem to be having a spate of derailments across the globe at the moment!! Glad no one was hurt in this one!!
Cheers
phil

<<State police said a road next to the tracks would be closed for at least two days.
>>

Train derailments get cleared up quick over here. Typically, there will have been a telephone call (costing a couple of hundred thousand dollars) to a salvage company within minutes mobilising heavy lifting gear. Not quite as glamorous as Red Adair, but not far off!

Attached latest pic of this incident: The wagon leaked sodium hydroxide, which can be lethal if inhaled, a Union Pacific railways spokeswoman said. More than 20 train wagons went off tracks.

That sort of speed of response would imply to me a lack of investigation into the cause.

I suppose it is one of the problems that occur when the Train operator is the owner of the infrastructure.
Money rules.

No, I am sure that is not the case, the FRA (Federal Railway Administration) will have been at the site as fast as the railroad officials - and calling the action. Here is a link to action a week ago related to the very serious derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, in early July :

http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L04722

Some railway crash!!