On May 12, 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it will replace aging rail scanning systems at twelve rail ports of entry on the US southern and northern land borders with high energy rail scanners as part of a $46 million initiative to enhance the security and efficiency of rail cargo inspections at locations throughout the United States. The new scanners use linear accelerators to generate X-rays from electricity rather than radioactive isotopes, producing high-quality images that support faster and more secure cargo inspections.
CBP will install the new scanning equipment at 12 locations, which process approximately 60 percent of the rail cargo imported into the United States. The installation and testing of the new scanners are expected to begin in fall 2021.
