Terror on the Rails? (PHOTOS OF PASSENGER, CARGO TRAINS AND RAIL CROSSINGS COMPUTER HARDDRIVE)

Time ^ | 10/27/02

[Brian Mosely]

The FBI has long been worried about the vulnerability of the nation's rail system to terror attack. But the threat was deemed immediate enough late last week for the agency to issue a formal warning. The alert cautioned that al-Qaeda, "possibly using operatives who have a Western appearance," might try to destroy key rail bridges, derail trains or target hazardous-material containers. What prompted the unusually specific warning? Intelligence sources tell Time it came as a result of the attack by two gunmen who killed one U.S. Marine and wounded another on a Kuwaiti island on Oct. 8. Kuwaiti authorities who afterward raided an al-Qaeda cell believed to be supporting the gunmen found a computer hard drive with photos of American passenger and cargo trains as well as rail crossings. At about the same time, senior al-Qaeda operatives in custody told their CIA and FBI interrogators that the organization had plans for targeting railroads. Counterterrorism officials are worried that security for the nation's vast rail system, which has not previously been a target of terrorists, is far weaker than it is for the airlines.

[joesnuffy]

I worked for a major roadroad for a few years and concur with this wholeheartedly...
With a modicum of knowledge this type of terror can be easily accomplished...it one
has the 'will to do so'....
Islam provides 'the will to do so'....the intel , the support...and the financing

[Ciexyz]

Sure makes me want to stay home. Which isn't such a bad idea, with the current political climate. Explore the sights of your own area. Use the coupons in your Entertainment Book. There's a lot of sights in your home area that you haven't seen, right?

[FreedomPoster]

Good/bad time of year to be doing this, at least in red zone America. It's hunting season, there are a lot of good old boys out and about with scoped deer rifles. I wouldn't want to be an Islamist out "workin' on the railroad", and seen by same.

[umgud]

Toss out all the Muslims and cut down on the odds of attacks from within. I't's hard enough to protect against outside enemies and nearly impossible to protect against enemies from within. When the US starts having attacks at the frequncy that Isreal does, I won't be the only one with this mind-set.

Speaking as an infidel, I do believe we are in a war with Islam. Flame away.

[Kerberos]

"The alert cautioned that al-Qaeda, "possibly using operatives who have a Western appearance"

So is this the medias attempt to get us a lone white terrorist in the mix somehow? Seeing how that didn't work out well for the D.C. sniper.

[steplock]

You forgot to add the reports of these HazMat rail accidents already occuring!

You haven't heard about them?!? Could it be the reports are killed IMMEDIATELY after they hit the air?

There was a major derailment of a pcb laden train near the canadian border last month. I may have a copy of the video of the flames, smoke, and wrecked hazMat cars. But there have been 3 major derailments, and you can throw in the explosions around Houston's cracking plants.
Houston has been under attack for the past 20 years and they handle them pretty well, but they also don't publish the true facts. You would not believe the security they.ve had down there around gas/oil, transportation, & communications areas! All since we got rid of carter. (actually during the carter years without the feds knowledge)

[Brian Mosely]

Worked pretty well in the OKC bombing case though...

[cmsgop]

Speaking as an infidel,

Dude , your an Infidel Too ?

So am I !!!!

I thought I was the only one......

[Kerberos]

"Worked pretty well in the OKC bombing case though..."

No kidding! I have always thought there is some ME terrorist involvement in that somewhere, if we would just look deep enough.

[Alas Babylon!]

Another infidel checking in. Where do we get our gear? Do I have to sign a hand-receipt? When's chow? I want the top bunk.

[pyx]

Some of my relatives living in the South-East of Toronto, Canada told me that there was a train derailment about 500 yards from a large moslem mosque a week or two back. It was right beside a main road there. They've told me they have also seen at least a couple of young men dressed in military fatigues and "palestinian" style head scarves running around the area of the derailment and mosque at night time about five or six months ago.
Canukians are too PC to do anything like seriously investigate threats from moslem crazies. I wonder if the jihadists were performing trial runs at the most effective way to derail a train. My relatives tell me there didn't seem to be a lot of cops around at the time of the derailment, so I wonder if there was any sort of investigation for a possible terrorist link.

[Lokibob]

Actually, it appears from this chart that the rails are safer.

I'll admit that this only goes thru July 2002.

 

This chart is from the NTSB web site.

 

Statistics last updated  October 25, 2002

Railroad Accident/Incident Data:	Jan-Dec 2000	Jan-Dec 2001(Prelim)	%Change
Train accidents	2,983	3,005	0.7%
Train accidents per million train miles	4.13	4.22	2.1%
Total reported casualties	12,580(937 fatal)	11,905(971 fatal)	-5.4%
Trespasser fatalities	463	511	10.4%
Employee casualties per 200,000 manhours	3.44	3.29	-4.5%
Highway-rail crossing incidents	3,502	3,237	-7.6%
Highway-rail crossing fatalities	425	421	-0.9%
Highway-rail crossing incidents per million train miles	4.84	4.55	-6.1%
	Jan-July 2001(Prelim)	Jan-July 2002(Prelim)	%Change
Train accidents	1,815	1,465	-19.3%
Train accidents per million train miles	4.38	3.52	-19.6%
Total reported casualties	7,208(558 fatal)	5,948(570 fatal)	-17.5%
Trespasser fatalities	289	321	11.1%
Employee casualties per 200,000 manhours	3.35	2.81	-16.3%
Highway-rail crossing incidents	1,897	1,757	-7.4%
Highway-rail crossing fatalities	253	211	-16.6%
Highway-rail crossing incidents per million train miles	4.58	4.23	-7.7%

[RicocheT]

I'm less worried about RR and terrorists than I am about RR and poor track/equipment maintenance.

The tracks and rolling stock in the USA need repairs. It's not terrorists who are derailing trains almost every day.

Instead of spending extra millions on another security agency for trains, spend the money on rail improvements.

We have cops gallor...those DC shooters practically jumped into handcuffs with those phone calls. The cops are already getting more funding for terrorism, let's see if that works befor spending more.

[macamadamia]

I know someone who took the Amtrak from Altoona, PA to N.Y.City carrying a suitcase. She got off in N.Y.City and walked straight to the hotel and NOT ONCE was the bag checked the entire trip. In fact, nobody's bag was checked on the train. This was several months after 911! The possibilities here for terrorism are no-brainers and yet, to date, nothing has happened. Disturbing and puzzling.

[Rebelbase]

I too, am an infidel! My brothers, where have you been!

[ladyinred]

I know we have had a series of derailments lately on the rails, yet anytime this is mentioned, everyone pooh-poohs the possibility of terrorism. Some have wondered already, if this isn't the cause of these, myself included.

[ladyinred]

Thanks. Those were some of the things I was thinking about. I see I am not alone in my suspicions.

[Uncle George]

A really frightening news story about our railroads and terrorists from World news daily a year ago won't upload for me now. Hey Alamo Girl did you put this story to FILE when I sent it to you a year ago? I hope so. http://www.worldnewsdaily.net/news/article.asp?ARTICLEID=24935

[Uncle George]

BUMP