CSX to Open Shipment Info to States for Security Reasons

Eastern freight railroad CSX Corp. will open its computer system to counterterrorism agencies in three states to help track hazardous cargo, Bloomberg reported.

The yearlong pilot program with New York, New Jersey and Kentucky will allow police and security officials to independently trace rail cars’ location and contents, a CSX official said Tuesday at a press conference in Jersey City, N.J., Bloomberg reported.

The railroad expects to make the partnership a model for use with other states, Bloomberg said.

U.S. officials are pushing railroads to tighten security, especially for chemicals or other freight that might be hijacked or attacked. CSX and Norfolk Southern Corp. serve the Port of New York and New Jersey, the biggest U.S. East Coast seaport, Bloomberg said.

CSX previously challenged and helped strike down a District of Columbia law that had set limits on where its hazmat cargo could travel in the nation’s capital.

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