After spending Thanksgiving camped out in a school hall, evacuated Livingston residents are now going home. But the cause of the train derailment remains a mystery. Amelia Neath reports
In the small, remote town of Livingston, Kentucky, residents had been preparing their turkeys and setting their tables for Thanksgiving the following day.
The roughly 200 people had no idea that a train carrying chemicals had derailed off the tracks nearby.
In total, 16 large train cars derailed – two containing molten sulphur. The chemicals instantly caught fire and sent large clouds of smoke billowing into the air.
The atmosphere quickly filled with toxic sulphur dioxide, prompting authorities to declare an emergency and evacuate residents from their homes, sending them to shelter in hotels, lodgings, and even a local middle school.
It’s more cost-effective to just not have them derail in the first place.
Of course, that requires railway maintenance. But if you can skip that and let the government pick up the bill for the inevitable disaster, that’s even better!
This is reportedly been happening in Canada too listening to some sources that say it’s cheaper to deal with derailment than to maintain the tracks properly.
I find it hard to believe but we are talking about a lot of track. I can’t imagine the disruptions to service and clean ups doesn’t add up quickly not to mention the loss of life costs.