Straight Track #105

Railroads or Employees May Pay Cost For
New Transportation Security Card

U.S. Rail News
Vol. 25 No. 5 
Published February 27, 2002

U.S. Rail News, in Vol. 25 No. 5, wrote an article concerning railroad employees possibly bearing the cost for new transportation security cards. As a result of every railroader's interest in this issue, we are sharing with you the article in its entirety.

Railroads or Employees May 
Pay Cost For New Transportation Security Card

Railroads or their employees probably will be forced to pay for new security identification cards planned by the Transportation Department later this year for all transportation workers, according to a witness at a congressional hearing last week. 

In addition, railroad employees with criminal backgrounds could lose their jobs or be disqualified as applicants under the security guidelines developed by the Transportation Department. The disqualification would apply to any transportation workers imprisoned in the previous five years or who have felony convictions within the last seven years. Some congressmen expressed concern that good employees would be unfairly terminated for unrelated brushes with the law. 

"Our goal is to fashion a nationwide transportation worker identification solution that verifies the identity of transportation workers, validates their background information, assists transportation facilities in managing their security risks and accounts for personnel access to transportation facilities and activities of authorized personnel," said Admiral James Underwood, the Transportation Department's intelligence and security director. He testified before the House Transportation subcommittee on Coast Guard and maritime transportation. 

The hearing focused on ports, but Underwood said railroads would be included under requirements for the electronic "smart cards." Employees from trucking companies, pipelines, airlines, and maritime shipping companies would need them. "We're looking at all forms of transportation." 

The cards are intended to restrict and monitor access to secure areas, such as passenger boarding areas and maintenance worksites. 

A decision on who would pay for the cards will be left to the new Transportation Security Administration, a federal agency created by Congress after the September 11 attack. President Bush proposed a $4.8 billion budget for the agency this month in his fiscal 2003 budget. The decision is expected within 60 days. The Transportation Security Administration is in charge of all transportation security programs, including high-tech monitoring of public transit stations and searches of railroad passengers' baggage. 

New Technology and Issues of Effectiveness 

"We have identified costs in the range of $25 to $50 per person per card," Underwood said that the hearing. It would be encrypted with a biometric identification of the owner. Biometrics refers to using a unique part of a person's anatomy, such as a fingerprint, iris or handprint, for identification. 

The idea of a transportation security card already is facing questions about its effectiveness. Eventually, the security card for transportation workers is supposed to lead to a security card for airline passengers who want to bypass elaborate searches at airports. The closest similar security cards are used by the Defense Department under a $200 million program. 

John Magaw, the Transportation Security Administration's director, told Congress during a recent hearing that terrorists might be patient enough to establish a reliable record that would help them qualify for the cards. They could then use the clearance they get with the cards to launch a terrorist attack. Contact: Steve Hansen, House Transportation Committee, at (202) 225-7749. 

[top]