Agence France Presse March 23, 2004
US steps up rail security but trains remain vulnerable
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is stepping up security on its railway network in a bid to lessen the risk of a terrorist attack on American trains which security experts now consider to be the most vulnerable spot of the US transport network.
Following the Madrid attacks on March 11 which left some 190 dead, US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Monday announced that special sniffer dog teams would be set up to detect bombs.
"While there have there are no indications that terrorists are planning similar attacks in the United States in the near term, we have asked transit and rail operators around the country to be on a heightened state of alert and deploy additional security personnel and surveillance equipment where necessary," Ridge said.
The homeland security chief, whose department was created after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, said the "rapid deployment mass transit canine" teams will be "specially trained to work in the undergrounds and tunnels unique to some transit and rail environments."
Ridge said US security authorities had looked hard at the train and subway networks in US cities. "We're in the particularly challenging area of trying to preserve the flexibility, the convenience and the easy access to mass transit and railroads particularly and then balance that off with security."
The subway rail networks in New York, Chicago and Washington have already stepped up their security precautions since the Madrid bombs hidden in rucksacks on four commuter trains.
He said the Transportation Security Administration will begin tests to see if luggage and carry on bags can be screened at railway stations and on trains.
"The pilot programme is to take a look at whether or not people will tolerate a little more inconvenience -- it's possible -- but are there better ways to get people in and off these mass transit systems."
He said there would also be a review of the movement of hazardous materials which could be a terrorist target.
But Ridge said authorities did not want to impose security that would drive rail operators out of business.
US anti-terrorism expert Francois Boo said the US rail system is the weak point of the country's transport system.
"Americans use more airplanes than they are used to in Europe. The focus of the security is still more on the airports, so far when you board a train you are not asked to take your shoes off. I don't know how feasible that would be to take the same measures for the trains," said Boo, an analyst for the GlobalSecurity.org.
Sergio Ostria, a specialist on railway security, said some progress was being made in protecting trains but it is a difficult area.
"There are some technological measures that could potentially help, but when you're talking about people carrying bombs in their backpacks, it would be very difficult to guard against something like that."
The 1.3 million people who pass through Union Station, the central railway and subway station in Washington, have clearly seen the extra measures taken since March 11. Armed Security guards watch entrances and people getting on and off trains.
Surveillance cameras are also more widely used and regular public warnings are broadcast.
Boo said there is much wider cooperation between the US intelligence services and the railway authorities.
Clifford Black, a spokesman for Amtrak, the main US rail company, said that the number of patrols has been increased but emphasised there was no specific threat.
There are about 270,000 kilometers (167,500 miles) of railway in the United States, which carry about 30 million containers a year and millions of passengers each day.
© Copyright 2004, Agence France Presse
