Al Qaeda has long studied the possibility of attacks on railroad systems, seeing them as cheap, relatively easy to carry out and with potentially devastating results.

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Al Qaeda has long studied the possibility of attacks on railroad systems -- seeing them as cheap, relatively easy to carry out and with potentially devastating results.

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Despite lethargic railroad systems, Ruby on Rails was mile-a-minute.

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Another aspect of the alleged Canadian plot is that it underlines the enduring interest of al Qaeda and its supporters in attacking railroad systems, seeing such operations as relatively cheap and easy to carry out -- with potentially devastating results.

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With so much vital transportation infrastructure surrounding the harbor such as Newark Liberty International Airport, the extensive railroad systems for Norfolk Southern and Conrail, the container terminals at Port Elizabeth, Port Newark, and the New York Container Terminal on Staten Island, the immediate area surrounding the port makes New York Harbor an ideal and desirable transportation destination.

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