Alabama Southern Railroad has cleared the tracks of a train carrying hazardous materials that derailed Tuesday in Lowndes County.
The Tuscaloosa-based ABS westbound train derailed at about 7:30 a.m. near Armstrong Road, just east of South Lehmberg Road and south of Highway 182.
ABS General Manager Todd Johns said neither of the two employees on the train had been injured.
The R.J. Corman Railroad Group, which had been hired by ABS after the derailment, finished moving the 12 overturned cars off the tracks by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Johns said. An Artesia-bound train was on the tracks today.
The “severe” derailment of the train”s 100 or so cars was still under investigation Wednesday, Johns said. The company had also not finished estimating the damage.
Columbus Fire and Rescue, which responded to the scene along with the Lowndes County Sheriff”s Office, had earlier reported that a broken rail caused the derailment.
The Columbus Hazmat team was also called in, but determined there was no immediate danger to nearby residents after assessing three cars that were separately carrying nitrous oxide, turpentine and methyl phenol, a chemical used in treatment of wood products.
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