PSR and related railroad policies continue to aid cargo thieves

News organizations nationwide continue to cover cargo theft from freight trains. A CBS News report on October 9 focused on a first-of-its-kind national blitz to crack down on rail thefts. Reporting from the Chicago area, CBS showed how federal agents, railroad police, and local law enforcement collaborated across 24 states, using infrared drone cameras to catch thieves at night. (Watch the video here.)

Police said local street gangs and transnational criminal networks are to blame for this ongoing series of train robberies. But BLET believes otherwise. For America’s Class I railroads, this is a crisis of their own making. Implementing the Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) operating model has led to massive job cuts among carmen and railroad police officers, making it harder for railroads to respond when thieves target trains. PSR has also led to longer freight trains operated by fewer employees. These trains are often too long to fit into sidings, leaving valuable cargo parked in unprotected areas.

Last year, BLET Division 28 President Eddie Strom testified before Congress about the link between PSR and cargo theft, and the danger it poses to railroad workers. Thieves have stopped freight trains by cutting air hoses, and they have parked vehicles on grade crossings, forcing trains to come to an emergency stop. These brazen train robberies put the lives of BLET members at risk.

Ending PSR operations, hiring more workers, and reducing train length would help reduce cargo theft and, in doing so, better protect railroad workers while they are on the job.

While police have made some progress in recovering stolen goods, train thefts have continued. Weeks after the October 9 CBS News report, thieves again robbed a freight train, and police activity and cleanup on the tracks caused extensive delays in Chicago commuter rail operations (watch the video here).