WASHINGTON – The government plans two new experiments to determine the feasibility of security checks for rail passengers and their bags.
Beginning next week, the Transportation Security Administration will screen checked baggage that goes onto the five long-distance Amtrak trains that depart Washington’s Union Station every weekday. Screeners will use some combination of X-ray machines, bomb-sniffing dogs and handheld wands that can sense minute traces of explosives.
Next month, the TSA will screen passengers as they board trains. Plans call for people to enter through the rear car, where they’ll be checked for explosives before moving forward to their seats. It’s expected screeners will use an X-ray machine for carry-on baggage and a portal that “sniffs” the air around a person for explosive residue. It isn’t yet clear which trains will be selected for the passenger test.
Easy access to trains and train platforms make them vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The FBI and the Homeland Security Department have warned that terrorists might strike trains and buses in major U.S. cities using bombs concealed in bags or luggage.
The TSA’s efforts to improve rail safety were given a push by the March 11 railway bombing in Madrid that killed 191 people and injured thousands.
Some in Congress believe the TSA isn’t doing enough to secure railways. In April, a Senate committee approved spending more than $1 billion to protect railroads and mass transit systems from terrorist attacks.
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