Union Pacific enhances LA cargo safety via tech, infrastructure upgrades

Union Pacific Railroad has invested more than $30 million on security projects since January 2023, undertaking steps to safeguard L.A. cargo trains on multiple fronts, the Class I reported this week on its Inside Track news website.

UP’s special agents are on a Los Angeles area law enforcement task force dedicated to combating cargo thefts. Over the past year and a half, with the help of this task force, the percentage of arrests leading to charges related to UP train cargo thefts has risen to 90% from 25%.

The security projects come in response to cargo thefts UP previously reported on Inside Track in 2022, when the Class I said it was dealing with repeated thefts by individuals released from the criminal justice system within short periods of time. In October 2021 alone, thefts from UP trains increased 356% compared to October 2020, UP officials said at the time.

Since then, UP has implemented new surveillance technology, including drones and AI-integrated cameras across its L.A. rail yards and infrastructure.

Additional special agents have been deployed to key areas more frequently targeted by theft. Moreover, the Class I has added more than 41,000 linear feet of walls and fences to further secure parts of the L.A. Basin railroad corridor.

To learn more about UP’s security efforts against cargo theft, read the Inside Track article, linked here.