United States and Canadian customs authorities, together with Canada's two major railroads, last month signed a declaration of principles to improve the security of rail shipments between the two countries. The agreement follows several months of discussions under the Smart Border Declaration, which was adopted by the United States and Canada in December of 2001.

The declaration, signed by the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), Canadian National Railway (CN), and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), outlines procedures for targeting, screening, and examining rail shipments that are carried by the two Canadian railroads into the United States. It also includes guidelines for collecting advanced electronic manifest information and installing imaging and radiation-detection equipment at seven CN and CPR border crossings. Both CN and CPR have received accreditation under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) cargo security program.

At the signing, CCRA Commissioner Rob Wright and CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner emphasized that the planned procedures would focus enforcement efforts on high-risk shipments. The agencies plan to have new procedures in place within a few months.