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Yesterday, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued a statement in response to the Teamsters Rail Conference’s recent report, “High Alert Report 2: Four Years Later Workers Continue to Warn of Security Gaps on Nation’s Railroads,” which summarized results of a union member survey and claimed rail workers don’t believe railroads have significantly improved security.

“Feedback from rail employees can be useful in improving worker communication and training techniques,” said AAR President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger. “However, it is important to keep this subjective survey in context — this is not a study or report on railroad security. It is an unscientific survey of the perceptions of a small percentage of the freight railroad workforce about security.”

The safety and security of the national rail network and rail employees are top priorities for U.S. railroads, which have surpassed federal industry risk reduction targets, he said, adding that railroad training programs and their implementation have undergone audits by federal agencies and have received high marks for substantial progress over the past several years.

“Still, the railroads recognize this area is one in which continuous improvement is essential and we will continue to work with federal, state and local authorities — and our employees — to ensure we keep the nation’s freight-rail network as safe and secure as possible,” said Hamberger.