FBI Investigating Train Track ‘Sabotage’
Thursday September 27, 8:24 am ET
FBI Investigating Suspected ‘Sabotage’ of Commuter Train Tracks in Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) – The FBI is investigating whether a section of commuter train tracks was sabotaged after Metra workers discovered a dozen railroad spikes missing in an area on Chicago’s South Side.
The spikes hold down metal plates that bind the rails to wooden ties underneath.
“If a sufficient number of spikes are removed in a contained location, there’s the potential for the rail to shift, which would lead to disastrous results and train derailment,” said Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Steve Kulm.
Metra discovered the missing spikes on Monday and notified police and federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, which investigates threats to planes and trains.
The FBI said it was conducting a criminal investigation into “sabotage.” FBI spokesman Ross Rice said agents were checking for possible connections to a domestic violence case involving a Metra engineer.
The affected tracks carry three commuter lines, including the Metra Electric Line to University Park and Blue Island, with around 40,000 riders daily, and the South Shore Line to Michigan City and South Bend, Ind.
If this is a case of sabotage or even just ordinary vandalism in a rough part of town, isn’t it more an example of the need to control trespassers, than a problem with people taking pictures from public property?
No kidding! I used to live in Balcones Woods, in Austin TX right near the UP track (former MOPAC) and a busy track too. Lots of kids played around it and I used to walk over and watch trains sometimes. Let me tell you - half the total spikes were pulled out about an inch and maybe 5% were missing totally. I tried to kick them back in but once the spikes are worked out of their holes they can’t just be pushed in. There were (probably still are) spikes laying around all over the place and one 7 year old boy my daughter knew had at least a hundred he picked up or maybe just pulled out with his fingers.
I haven’t been there for a few years but unless the ties are concrete now (UP has replaced a lot of the wood ones) I bet the situation’s the same. Same houses, same tracks, lots of kids. It’s actually a really nice neighborhood and I loved living there. Good neighbors, lots of trains, what else could you want?
REad thye comments regarding this on The Trains Magazine board. Apparently there is more to do this then the article say’s and it could be downplayed to minimize the public.
Apparently the truth has been downplayed on this to prevent public panic. On the news several times today the FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for information about who may have removed “numerous” spikes at the location
Generally the people who claim their rights are being violated when they are told to move on don’t understand that there are people out there doing harm or trying to. Obviously those people try to blend in and appear to be joe average. several people have taken an attitude that it is a “Right” to take pictures. It is not in my opinion. It is a “priveledge”. These disucssions are numerous on the boards.
This sounds to me more like juvenile vandalism than anti-American terrorism. If they catch the people who did it, I doubt they’re going to look like they’re trying to blend in with the average railfan taking pictures. Actually, except for the fact that a railfan might have taken a pic of the people removing the ties, I don’t see a connection between this vandalism and railfans taking pictures of trains from public areas like parks, sidewalks, streets etc.??
Because some people vandalized railroad property in a way that could injury or death, the rest of should not be allowed near railroads.
Along that line I guess we should all stop getting on airplanes because some nutcases flew some into the Twin Towers and Pentagon.
I guess we should stop driving cars because bank robbers use them for getaways.
And we better stay off boats since there are pirates using them for hijacking on the high seas.
Are bicycles still ok?
Freedom of the press, speech, etc don’t mean much if we have to give up our rights whenever some vandal, nutcase, etc does something or might do something.
If we don’t defend and insist on our rights we won’t have them very long. And yes walking on public property and taking pictures is a right to be defended.
So the supposition is a terrorist would not stand on public property he would stand on railroad property and thus you can distinguish a terrorist by his location. I’m glad that problem is solved so easily.
So what? That and $2.00 will get you on the subway. The illegal actions of others don’t remove a person’s right to engage in legal behavior.
There was a Supreme court decision which stated that citizen had no obligation to figure their taxes in a way that was most beneficial to the government. Consequently, by that line of reasoning, I have no obligation to modify or curtail my lawful activities in order to make law enforcement’s job easier. If they don’t like my exercising my rights, if it make it too hard for them, then they can quit and find a job that more in keeping with their diminished capacity.
I agree totally with the above rebuttal statement. I think the title to this thread and the vandalism article initial post make no sense and seem to be a forced false notion that I don’t buy into. It isn’t logical at all.
The association isn’t logical until you think of Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public who know nothing of railroads except that they are obvious targets for “terrorism” and they see no difference between kids throwing rocks at cars or trains, someone sabotaging this unknown entity to kill people and someone doing something that is “not logical to THEM”. i.e.: a person obviously “loitering” in an area of absolutely no interest to anyone that is not of their (Mr. & Mrs. J. Q. Public) own “normalcy”.
If you are taking photos of Niagra Falls, that is “normal”.
If you are taking photos of a monument, that is “normal”.
If you are taking photos of pretty girls, that is “normal”.
If you are taking photos of an old or fancy car, that is “normal”.
But, why in the world would a “normal” person want to take a photo of a common ol’ ordinary, run-of-the-mill, “useless”, no-account, “train”? Well, you must have some sinister motive to do such an odd thing.
Thus, the news say some person or persons, unknown, sabotaged the train tracks, and YOU are “loitering” in an area where “normal” people don’t “loiter” and you are doing something that is completely abnormal.
Obviously, if you want to take photos of trains you have to be someplace photogenic in the background (mountains, etc.), or you need to rent a really fancy car, park it between you and the train tracks, then hire a pretty model to dress in a bikini and drape herself all over the car. Then you can take photos of trains all day long without raising any suspecion. All the male onlookers will assume you are taking photos of the girl, all the female onlookers will think you either a male chauvinist or are taking photos of the car. AND “nobody” will notice that you don’t even have the camera aimed in that general direction!
The supposition is that someone on public property watching trains and taking pictures isn’t violating any law. Someone on railroad property is - they’re trespassing.
If law enforcement people want to stop and question someone who is trespassing on railroad property to find out if they’re there to steal or vandalise or are just overzealous railfans, I have no problem with that. However, if someone is standing on a sidewalk, or in a public park etc. and taking pictures of a nearby railroad line, I do have a problem with law enforcement or railroad employees telling them they can’t take pictures because of “national security”.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
To say, however, that we don’t understand that people are trying to do “harm” actually speaks more to your lack of understanding than it does to ours. We all watched those towers fall on 9/11. We all understand that there are evil people out there doing evil things. But this does mean we have to or should be expected to stop doing things that are entirely legal.
It worries me that someone who lives in this great country actually thinks taking pictures of public things on public property is a “priviledge” and not a right protected by the First Amendment.