In a recent television interview, BLET National President Eddie Hall said excessive train length is a factor in the ongoing problem of train robberies in the American southwest.
In an interview with television station Fox 10 News in Phoenix, President Hall said that excessively long trains are easy targets. Seemingly with a working knowledge of freight train air brake systems, thieves typically cut air hoses to initiate emergency stops in specific areas. They then break into shipping containers and disappear with their stolen cargo long before train crews have time to respond. Hall said it often takes 40 minutes or longer for a conductor to walk the length of the train to find damaged air hoses.
Also interviewed was Steven Thomas, a BNSF railroader. He said it is “very unsettling” for train crews to be stopped in remote locations when their trains are potentially under attack by vandals. “You start walking back and you start thinking, what if we are being robbed? They have no regard for you, so you could very well not go home that night.”
You can watch the full video at the Fox 10 Phoenix website.
Fox 10 Phoenix image