Everything comes back around these days, with flared jeans on the up, Oasis reforming after a few decades away and now, great train robberies are gaining popularity once again. That’s right, old fashioned train heists are back with more than $4 million worth of goods stolen from a single freight train operator in California over less than two years.
Thieves in California regularly target the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail operator, which carries freight through the state, reports Business Insider. Groups are reportedly boarding trains with saws, bolt-cutters and other tools to crack open cases of valuable goods like footwear, tools and electronics.
The attacks on freight trains have hit everything from Turtle Beach Stealth Pro headsets to “Nightmare Before Christmas” toys, and that’s just the goods that authorities have been able to recover. In total, authorities estimate that the BNSF railroad alone had more than $4 million worth of goods swiped from its trains since 2023.
Here’s how you rob a train
Gangs reportedly target freight trains when they are headed eastbound from California’s Interstate 40, reports Outside. Once they’re onboard, crews of thieves get to work locating and stealing the goods:
Once thieves know the location of cargo, they board the train when it’s stopped. Due to the size of freight trains, security guards can’t patrol the entire vehicle, Lewis said. And train drivers are unarmed. Once crooks find the shipping containers, they cut the locks off with grinders or bolt cutters. Then, they toss the cargo to the ground, hide it in the underbrush, and wait for a follow car to pick it up.
Once a haul is stashed away, it’s either picked up by a following truck that’s being used by the criminals, or it’s collected by law enforcement. Officers in California have unearthed stolen goods lining railroads, and placed trackers in some goods loaded onto trains to follow them once they are swiped.
Arrests have been made
Authorities in California have arrested 11 people in connection with robberies on the railways so far this year. In many instances, the groups hitting BNSF trains had “apparent links” to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which is an organized-crime group formerly led by drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
With organized crime hitting its trains, BNSF is taking action to protect its staff and reputation. In a statement shared with Outside, the operator said it had “robust security protocols” in place on trains it operated.
“We work hard to protect our customers’ freight from pickup to delivery and have security measures in place to help ensure these goods arrive safely,” the company added. “We are working with federal, state, local, and tribal police departments to coordinate our approach to disrupting criminal activity and arresting offenders.”
Robberies on the rise
Despite this hardline stance against train robberies, attacks on freight trains in America are on the rise and they aren’t just hitting BNSF and its trains in California.
Across the country, BI reports that cargo thefts cost rail operators more than $100 million in 2024 after railroads were hit with more than 65,000 thefts over the 12-month period. Hits on railroads in 2024 were up by around 40 percent compared with 2023, industry groups told the site.
Despite the eye-watering value of goods lost on the railroad, operators like BNSF still bank their fair share. Last year, the operator generated nearly $24 billion in revenue and about $5 billion in net income, adds Business Insider.
