Track Attack

Week Ending 2/29/08:

Amtrak recently announced that it will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags in a new security initiative designed to make our railing a happier, gentler and hopefully, bombless experience. Part of the push will include more police officers and army guards patrolling the rail stations with bomb-sniffing dogs and carrying fierce-looking weaponry - machine guns and the like, as well as special units called "mobile security teams" that will be trolling for terrorists on board.

It's all part of a significant shift for Amtrak with respect to giving the appearance of heightened security. In the past, of course, it's been a joke. Anyone (business commuter, students, weekday Broadway babies and shoppers of all ilks) can enjoy the ride by simply boarding a train. The extent of the "security" consisted of maybe having to show a ticket to an Amtrak ticket person, whose job is to try and make sure that the crush of humanity pushing to enter an escalator leading to the appropriate departure track, are each armed with a ticket bearing the correct train number. This is usually a "best efforts" attempt, since the desire is to get everyone down the shoot with a minimum of pushing, shoving and stampeding. Of course, all of this is a mere inconvenience to any would-be evil-doer, who has the options of (1) buying a ticket at the counter and then boarding; (2) buying a ticket at the kiosk and then boarding; or (3)just walking down one of the many staircases which lead to the tracks and are open to the public , none of which are staffed by anyone asking to see a ticket, and boarding, sans-ticket, if one chooses.

Keep in mind, that during a typical evening excursion from NY Penn Station to parts south, a railer is usually comfy in their seat, enjoying the scenery, for at least a half-hour to 40 minutes into the journey before a conductor comes along to collect tickets! So anyone with bad intentions has plenty of opportunity to make deadly mischief!

Under the new rules,the roving teams will show up, unannounced, and set up mobile screening stations. Passengers will be pulled out of line via random selection to have their bags screened. If a passenger refuses, then they won't be allowed on the train (how harsh). Of course, one way to avoid the screening is to avoid the line! I have not heard of any changes in keeping passengers from by-passing the lines, which I was able to do all this week, business as usual!

I would much rather see the investment made in an adequate number of specially-trained, super-sniffing K-9 units, patrolling the platforms and making a quick stroll though the train, prior to departure. As in most security issues, we are more lucky than good, and only through the grace of God do we reach our destination unscathed.