NYC area to access train-tracking network

NEW YORK, July 17 (UPI) -- An agreement with the states of New York and New Jersey will mean fewer surprises for first responders at the scene of a railroad mishap.

CSX Transportation said Tuesday it had finalized a deal with the states to allow state security officials to access the company's operations network, which will give emergency crews real-time information on where trains are and what types of cargo are being moved.

The result will be better information on hazardous materials that might be involved in a train mishap that is the result of an accident or a terrorist act.

"We're pleased to be the first railroad and among the first private industries to formalize security partnerships with the states," CSXT Vice President David Brown said at Tuesday's signing ceremony across the river from Manhattan.

The Network Operations Workstation will also give the state agencies immediate communications with CSXT personnel and will allow greater collaboration in security exercises.

CSXT, along with the governors of the two states, said they hoped to see their agreement adopted by other states along the CSXT system.

Rail service not only moves tons of goods into the New York-New Jersey region, but also carries thousands of marine cargo containers that arrive in New York Harbor every day. Such containers are seen by counter-terrorism officials as a likely means of bringing a nuclear "dirty bomb" into the United States.