Railway Track & Structures - October 2007 - (Page 60)

CHICAGO PERSPECTIVE Railroads and security ecurity is the new buzzword in the world, and it’s making things a bit difficult for us in the railroad industry. So many things have to be done in the name of security that it sometimes seems as if we all will have to move into old fallout shelters left over from the 1950s and wait for doomsday to come upon us. Don’t get me wrong. Like everyone else after the tragic events of 9/11/01, I realize that the world’s a different place now. We have to be more watchful as an industry and as individuals. But does that have to mean we’ll have to move all hazardous commodities over circuitous routes to avoid major population centers? I don’t think so, but some people do, and they’re pressuring elected officials to enact laws to force railroads to do just that. That action may not increase security very much, if at all, but it gives some people the feeling that they’re doing something and this action, they think, doesn’t affect them directly. It’s always easy to call for action when somebody else’s ox is being gored. But railroads are far from sitting still in dealing with the new world of increased security awareness. Witness the strong response to Railway Age’s Security Forum and Expo as one proof. I saw a story in the Dallas Morning News that gave a pretty good accounting of what our industry is doing to protect shippers, employees and the communities the railroads serve. “The Association of American Railroads stepped up by voluntarily developing a comprehensive freight railroad security plan with four alert levels, each with a set of countermeasures that swings into action based on perceived need,” the story noted. “This plan created a Department of Defense-certified, 24/7 operations center that links the nation’s railroads with the appropriate national security intelligence officials, which allows for immediate sharing of information and response to threats. It also involved more than 50 permanent S changes to industry procedures and operations, including restricted access to facilities, cybersecurity improvements, increased tracking of certain shipments and enhanced security training for railroad employees.” Kelly Donley of the Association of American Railroads said in the story: “Security is now treated like safety. It’s Job Number One and it’s every day.” She also commended individual railroads for adopting vigorous security training programs tailored to specific job functions. The story went on to describe security efforts by BNSF and Union Pacific, the two major railroads serving the Dallas area. I think the story served two important purposes. First, it gave an excellent picture of what the railroad industry in general and local railroads in particular are doing about security. Because people don’t interact with trains like they once did, the local media doesn’t pay them that much attention. People with strong opinions can generate a large following because there are few or no contrary views out there. To me it’s always better to be proactive. By getting this story out to the community before there are any problems, the industry establishes some credibility. If something does happen, people may remember that the railroad had at least been trying to provide security. That can be extremely valuable when pack journalism kicks in, as it often does after a tragedy. The second point is that the story reminds us of how important it is for all of us to tell the railroads’ story, whether it’s about security or any other topic. We have to get our side of the story out there or the reregulators and other doomsayers will be the only ones giving out tales about our industry. That means that each of us, no matter what our position in the industry, has to be a spokesperson for railroads. We have to tell our story in conversations with friends and family, to reply to misinformation with letters to the editor and to express our pride in what we do. As I’ve said before, if we don’t tell our industry’s story, who will? George S. Sokulski Associate Publisher 60 Railway Track & Structures October 2007 www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures - October 2007

Railway Track & Structures - October 2007 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Crossties by the Billions Provide Essentials for Full Support Modern Tools Manage Risk M/W Challenges: Better Management of Thermal Forces in CWR TTCI Celebrates 25 Years as Facility, 10 as Part of AAR Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Website Directory Advertisers Index Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - October 2007

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