摘要：Safe transportation of hazardous materials in the United States is an important national
issue. Given the dimension of terrorism, the movement of hazardous materials encompasses an
even greater safety concern. The great majority of these materials move by either rail or truck.
With an ever increasing number of trucks moving on the nation’s highways, there is cause for
concern not only over safety issues, but the impact on highway gridlock, environmental
implications, and infrastructure deterioration. Rails can offer many advantages over truck for
hazardous materials movement. This paper delineates the advantages of rail movements of
hazardous materials. The recent advances in rail safety technology to help reduce risk are noted.
Finally, the issues and challenges revolving around shifting hazardous materials movements
from truck to rail are explored.
