Train Clean-up Ahead of Schedule

Officials say clean-up is ahead of schedule at the site of the train derailment over Bayou Plaquemine. Crews worked into the night to repair the damage to the bridge.

"They've completed rebuilding that entire portion of the train trestle. So now it's a matter of getting the roads shut down, rerouting traffic and moving that molten sulfur tank,” said Trooper Russ Graham, Louisiana State Police.

The Department of Environmental Quality says removing that molten sulfur is the biggest concern right now. One of the tanks was full of that chemical...They say when it hits the water it's fine, but breathing it could be harmful.

"DEQ has been scanning the air quality since early Saturday morning. So far they say tests have been negative, but there is a chance as they pull the last car out, that that chemical could get back into the air.

"The inside of that tank there is still a liquid form of molten sulfur so that's the reason for shutting the road down...to ensure public safety and get the car removed,” said Graham.

Besides heavier traffic, the other concern is the shutdown railroad itself. Locals say somewhere between 30 and 50 trains pass through the area everyday. Officials say the closed tracks could be costing up to a million dollars an hour.