All international rail traffic  enters and exits the continental United States through 30 different rail  POEs—23 along the Canadian border and 7 along the Mexican  border. As part of its mission to safeguard U.S. borders while enabling legitimate  trade and travel, CBP has personnel, including CBP Agricultural  Specialists, located at rail POEs that scan inbound trains for security  threats. Rail Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (R-VACIS): Inbound trains  slow to pass through R-VACIS, a machine that produces an image of  the inside of railcars using gamma radiation technology (see fig. Crew Changes Affect Inbound and Outbound Trains on the Southern Border due to Factors Such as Differing Safety Regulations

DOT officials told us that inbound and outbound trains on the southern  border are required to stop at the border to change crew due to lack of  comparable rail safety regulations between the United States and  Mexico. Two railroads have expressed interest in developing an international pool  of crew to eliminate the need for crew changes on the southern border;  however, DOT and CBP officials, and BLET representatives cited barriers  to this initiative. As discussed later in this report, FRA has undertaken  efforts to improve the availability of data on freight rail movements,  including those at POEs. International Freight Rail Impacts Vary by Community GAO Visited, and DOT’s Data Improvement Efforts Could Help Determine the Extent of Blocked Highway- Rail Grade Crossings

		Impacts of International Freight Rail on Communities GAO Visited Vary Based on Border- Specific Factors and Community Characteristics

The factors noted above—customs inspections, brake inspections, and  crew changes—can slow or stop trains travelling through U.S. POEs and  consequently block highway-rail grade crossings in those communities,  but different POEs are affected differently. In addition,  although U.S. customs inspections can block U.S. highway-rail grade  crossings for inbound trains on both borders, foreign customs inspections  primarily impact outbound trains on the southern border. The extent to which the above factors may result in a train blocking a  highway-rail grade crossing and delaying vehicular traffic also vary due to  community characteristics, such as the number and location of highway- rail grade crossings and the availability of overpasses. Local officials attribute issues related to blocked highway-rail  grade crossings in Blaine to the R-VACIS; however, as mentioned  previously, CBP has adjusted its procedures to enable certain trains  to go through R-VACIS faster. The effect that freight rail may have on communities also varies based on  the time of day that trains pass through the rail POE communities, as well  as efforts made by railroads to prevent trains from blocking certain  highway-rail grade crossings. On January 6, 2015,  FRA issued a final rule requiring railroads to update the inventory once  every 3 years. Improved information on the average number of daily trains  could better equip state and local governments to identify community  congestion impacts from freight rail—including blocked highway-rail grade  crossings located in POE communities along the border. In addition, in September 2014, we issued a report on freight-related  community impacts and recommended, among other things, that DOT  incorporate additional information to help states define and prioritize local  community impacts of national freight movements, including traffic- congestion impacts, and to establish what data could be consistently  collected and analyzed in order to prioritize impacts of freight on local  traffic congestion in its final guidance to states in the development of their  state freight plans. DOT agreed  with our recommendations. DOT and CBP provided technical comments, which we incorporated. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report (1) describes factors that affect the movement of freight rail  through selected ports of entry and the actions taken by federal agencies  and others to expedite freight rail in these locations, and (2) examines  what is known about the impacts of freight rail operations on highway-rail  grade crossings in U.S. port of entry communities. To determine the factors that affect the movement of freight rail through  selected ports of entry and the actions taken to expedite freight rail in  these locations, we interviewed officials and reviewed documents from  Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of  Transportation (DOT), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and  Department of State. These  communities were selected because they had at least one inbound train  on average per day from 2010 through 2014, according to DOT’s Bureau  of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Border Crossing data.
Why GAO Did This Study

About 93 trains a day on average crossed into the continental United States from Canada and Mexico in 2014, according to DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Trains enter and leave the United States through 30 POEs—23 on the northern border and 7 on the southern border. Although international freight rail plays an important role in U.S. economic and trade interests, the movement of rail through U.S. communities at the border can result in blocked highway-rail grade crossings and vehicle traffic congestion. House Report 113-464 accompanying the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act included a provision for GAO to review the impact of international rail crossings on U.S. border communities.
This report (1) describes the factors that affect the movement of freight rail and the actions taken by federal agencies and others to expedite freight rail in selected POEs and (2) examines what is known about the impacts of freight rail operations on highway-rail grade crossings in POE communities. GAO visited four POE communities that were selected in part based on BTS's 2010–2014 data on average incoming train volume. In each POE, GAO interviewed officials from local and state governments, the railroad, CBP, and FRA. GAO also interviewed officials from DOT, CBP, the Border Trade Alliance, and the Association of American Railroads.

What GAO Found

Factors such as inspections and crew changes affect freight rail movements in the four U.S. border port of entry (POE) communities GAO visited, which can result in blocked highway-rail grade crossings. Federal agencies and others have taken actions to expedite rail in these communities. As part of its mission to safeguard the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) scans inbound rail cars on both borders using the Rail Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (R-VACIS), a machine used to detect anomalies and threats to national security. CBP generally requires trains to slow in order to pass through R-VACIS. To expedite freight rail and reduce blocked highway-rail grade crossings, CBP, for example, adjusted its procedures to allow certain trains to go through R-VACIS faster at two POEs on the northern border. Similarly, crew changes can result in stopped trains and blocked U.S. highway-rail grade crossings, particularly on the southern border. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) officials stated that crew changes are required due to differences in safety regulations between the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Mexico. Railroads have expressed interest in eliminating such crew changes but face challenges such as FRA and labor union safety concerns.
The impacts of international freight rail on highway-rail grade crossings in communities GAO visited vary based on border-specific factors and community characteristics, and DOT improvement efforts including the issuance of a final rule could provide better data for help determining these impacts in the future. Inspections and crew changes, as well as rail traffic levels, can vary across POEs. For example, some factors play a role at southern, but not northern POEs. In addition, freight rail impacts vary based on community characteristics such as the availability of overpasses. State and local officials face data limitations, which reduce their ability to quantify rail-related community impacts. For example, local officials often do not have data on the number and length of trains passing through the community. In September 2014, GAO recommended that DOT improve the availability of national data to assess freight impacts on traffic congestion. DOT agreed and has actions under way. In January 2015, the FRA issued a final rule requiring railroads to update FRA's highway-rail crossing inventory once every 3 years. Prior to this rule, railroads voluntarily submitted data that were not always updated. DOT data efforts could better equip state and local governments to define the extent of blocked highway-rail grade crossings in communities nationwide, including at rail border communities.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making recommendations in this report. DOT and CBP provided technical comments, which were incorporated.