Freight Rail Division Eyes Security on 140,000 Miles of Track
News & Happenings
August 22, 2007
When a freight train derailed in South Carolina in 2005, a cloud of chlorine gas was released into the immediate atmosphere, killing nine people and forcing the evacuation of 5,400 others within a 1-mile radius. The Office of Transportation Sector Network Management's (TSNM) Freight Rail Division works to prevent terrorists from duplicating such destruction.
“The focal point of our attention is rail tank cars carrying toxic materials that traverse through major metropolitan areas and that are in an unattended status,” said Gilbert Kovar, general manager of the Freight Rail Division.
Toxic inhalation hazard (TIH) materials include chlorine, ammonia and sulfur dioxide, which are used to make fuel for motor vehicles, purify drinking water and fertilize crops.
There are 140,000 miles of freight-rail track and 560 railroads – from the handful of major ones to very small lines. Also, 40 percent of all intercity freight is transported by rail, accounting for $42 billion in annual revenues. This vast rail network is vital to the U.S. economy, national defense and public health.
To defend against the “weaponizing” of rail freight and disrupting this network, TSNM develops and implements security programs as a member of the Freight Rail Government Coordinating Council, which also has representatives from the departments of Justice, Transportation and Defense, as well as other Department of Homeland Security agencies.
The division also combats the TIH-materials threat through its Rail Corridor Assessment program by identifying rail areas of high consequence and vulnerability, and developing tactics to protect them.
As part of its work, TSNM Freight Rail, in partnership with the Railroad and Research Foundation, has granted a total of $5 million across three programs to assist in implementing security requirements and guidelines. One program – Secure Storage Areas – tests combinations of people, processes, and technology security measures that reduce the likelihood of unauthorized access to rail cars containing TIH materials. The two other programs provide Web-based assessment and management tools to the rail industry, the federal government and other stakeholders.
In combination with its concentration on securing toxic materials, the Freight Rail Division works to enhance intelligence sharing among freight rail security partners and to increase the vigilance of freight rail workers. TSA oversees the in-depth training of rail workers in recognizing and responding to possible security threats, including a new four-part training CD for first-line freight rail employees on identifying improvised explosive devises.
