(The following Associated Press article was posted on the New York Times’ website on April 3.)
WASHINGTON — The United States and Canada announced an agreement Thursday aimed at bolstering security for rail cargo bound for this country.
The agreement was signed by Customs authorities in the United States and Canada as well as two major railroad companies in Canada — the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Under the agreement, the railroad companies will provide authorities with detailed information on their cargo in advance of its arrival in the United States, and imaging and radiation detection equipment will be installed at seven border crossings, the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.
It will take several months for the advance manifest information to be provided and equipment to be in place, a bureau spokesman said.
“The rail security program we have developed is a vital component of our strategy to keep America and the American people safe, as well as to facilitate the flow of trade between Canada and the United States,” said the bureau’s commissioner, Robert Bonner.