Now it looks like the Union Pacific is Going to Avoid going into Los Angeles. It has taken enough losses, put its employees in danger being in a town without law enforcement protection, that the train company is working out details to stay away. If they leave, will other cargo train s also avoid L.A.?
““Customers like UPS and FedEx that utilize our essential rail service during peak holiday season are now seeking to divert rail business away to other areas in the hope of avoiding the organized and opportunistic criminal theft that has impacted their own business and customers,” UP public affairs director Adrian Guerrero wrote in a Dec. 20 letter to the Los Angeles district attorney.
The letter added that “like our customers, UP is now contemplating serious changes to our operating plans to avoid Los Angeles County.” A spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Sunday that the company is still considering such options.”
This is what happens when you have George Soros as your D.A. Why haven’t folks signed the Recall petition—before the county is closed down?
Union Pacific Weighs Avoiding Los Angeles as Cargo Theft Rises
By Brendan Murray, Bloomberg, 1/17/22
Union Pacific is considering changes to rail operations including avoiding Los Angeles County as a rise of cargo theft in the area hurts business.
It’s not exactly clear how the Omaha, Nebraska-based company would carry out such a threat and use alternatives to the nation’s largest gateway for imported goods. But what’s obvious is the railroad’s frustration with the lack of deterrents for committing crimes like trespassing and theft along the current route.
Widely tweeted footage by a CBS journalist last week showed the extent of the security breaches, with hundreds of opened packages looted from rail-borne shipping containers strewn around the tracks.
The problems have escalated for months as imports surge through the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and freight sits idle for weeks before heading north or eastward on trucks and trains. Theft is adding to the multitude of logistical headaches that have slowed the movement of goods to American store shelves and factory warehouses to such a degree that the White House felt pressure to get involved.
UP is calling on local law-enforcement officials to prosecute more aggressively.
‘Organized’ Crime
“Customers like UPS and FedEx that utilize our essential rail service during peak holiday season are now seeking to divert rail business away to other areas in the hope of avoiding the organized and opportunistic criminal theft that has impacted their own business and customers,” UP public affairs director Adrian Guerrero wrote in a Dec. 20 letter to the Los Angeles district attorney.
The letter added that “like our customers, UP is now contemplating serious changes to our operating plans to avoid Los Angeles County.” A spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Sunday that the company is still considering such options.
In the three months leading up to the holiday shopping season, UP said an average of more than 90 containers were compromised per day and more than 100 arrests were made. “Of all those arrests, however, UP has not been contacted for any court proceedings,” the letter stated.
The railroad has increased the number of agents, drones, fencing and trespass detection systems. “We need the L.A. District Attorney’s help to ensure there are consequences for those who prevent us from safely moving customer goods,” UP said in the statement.
