Amtrak to beef up security

CNN ^ | Feb. 18, 2008 | Jeanne Meserve

[kc8ukw]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Amtrak passengers will be subjected to random screening of their carry-on bags as part of a new security initiative that will include armed officers and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains, an Amtrak spokeswoman said Monday.

Details of the new effort, which were first reported by The Associated Press, will be announced Tuesday, the spokeswoman, Tracey Connell, said.

[kc8ukw]

I'm a bit hesitant about this, mainly because I find security highly annoying. But really, why would you board a train in America if you wanted to harm it? It probably rolls through hundreds of miles of sparsely populated countryside.

[the invisib1e hand]

I was commuting on the Metro North when this was piloted on a spur (the Shoreline East) years ago. It was annoying,sure, but every good citizen understands. What I'll never forget is the menacing, patronizing, even condescending demeanor of the security personnel, however. One got the impression that they were just waiting for a reason to lay into you.

[the invisib1e hand]

Amtrak’s eastern seaboard service rolls through the most populous areas of the country, I’d guess.

[umgud]

The way to wreak havoc on a train is from the tracks, not the inside of a coach.

[A Strict Constructionist]

Another gun free zone for the insane with terroristic tendencies and those that want their sick minute of fame.

I would think a train would be a tactical nightmare for both terrorist and assault team. I hope that this makes them a low priority target.

[squidly]

The last (and only, so far) time I’ve rode on Amtrak, I rode from South Carolina to Michigan. If they’d had bomb sniffing dogs on my luggage, there wouldn’t have been any fuss. However, if they’d had whiskey sniffing dogs, I could have been in some trouble.

[Clemenza]

When I was in Spain, I only got searched when getting on long distance trains. All I really had to do was put my bag through an x-ray machine and empty my pockets. No different than entering a courthouse, actually.

[Clemenza]

Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor routes basically provide revenue for service to the rest of the country.

[Procyon]

Intercity trains don’t appear to be attractive targets for terrorists because the passenger loads aren’t dense and trapped underground like on a subway system. When I’ve travelled on the Acela from NYC to Washington, I’ve noticed litle or no security hassles in NY but on the Washington side the security people are real jerks ordering people into single file and making them show IDs.

[squidly]

The vehicles that appear attractive to terrorists are the ones they can use as weapons, like the 9/11 jets. Trains only do so much “good.”

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Not quite. I think they are still at 96-98 percent of operating costs covered by fares. Tho long distance trains like the Empire Builder are around 50%.

[Jack Black]

What if you luggage has guns in it? What if you are legally armed. I occassionally take the train from one side of Washington to the other, where I have a permit to carry.

Last I checked there were no signs, and possibly no regulations, that prevent armed citizens from riding the trains. So they want to look in my fanny pack and in doing so see that I am legally carrying a .357.

This makes more sense in NYC I think, than rural routes in the west where many citizens are carrying or transporting guns.

[Nailbiter]

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