Well we knew that this was inevitable. Here is a link to the article.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-01-21-rail-cargo_x.htm
I am always loath to speculate on any topic that lends intself to alarmist reactions, however this article and the other on calls for increased rail security which I posted, led me to consider The Great Train Robbery that occurred not so long ago in Great Britian, which was, by all acounts, well executed. The manipulation of trackside signals to halt the train and the comparitively easy overpowering of the crew led to my consideration of the pretty spectacular footage of the recent derailment and resulting conflaguration in Kentucky. Perhaps the advent of “instant communications” of radio dispatching would, if not thwart, but would decrease the reaction time to any plot to release these agents…it certainly could be effective, which is a disquieting thought. An explosive charge to rupture a tank car and how long it would take to detonate it does not seem to be an insurmountable barrier…the larger question I have to ask myself is, how likely is it to occur but more importantly how easy would it be to reasonably prevent this? Granted, rail yards with plenty of opportunity would seem to be an easier target for my mild case of free floating anxiety. Nah, it can’t happen here…right?
Considering how well the TSA has mis-managed airport security and the mountain of data with which they would be inundated regarding toxic material shipments, I really doubt that much of anything useful will be accomplished.
I recently came across a comparison of TSA screening techniques and their focus on carry-on items versus the screening accomplished by countires experienced in dealing with terrorism, in the Middle East and I could not agree more that I find no comfort in knowing I am not going to be blown up by a shampoo bomb. As far as the TSA collection of data is concerned, there’s an old saying, A donkey carrying a stack of books is still a donkey.
After dealing with 20 plus years of Military Red Tape, now we have to deal with Big Brother. I am trying to educate myself on the aspects of Railroading. It would seem to me that the best way to track what is coming and going would be through the use of automated dispatching from the Company to the local FEMA Dispatch office.
I do believe that money was set aside after 9/11 to help the States with upgrading their disaster facilities. Command and Control could be given to the National Guard and Law Enforcement for tracking purposes. In theory, the State and Local Government should be able to respond more appropriately. NOT LIKE KATRINA THOUGH !!