Sen. Chuck Schumer proposed this week that domestic train systems institute no-ride lists, similar to the no-fly lists used by the aviation industry. In light of the intelligence gathered at Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan on possible targeting of passenger trains, Schumer said Amtrak should increase screening of its passengers.
In reply to questions about screening, Amtrak Vice President John O’Connor emailed a statement that his company remains committed to the safety and security of passengers.
“All countermeasures add value in creating an overall security posture in protecting a rail system that operates in an open environment,” O’Connor wrote. “The creation of a “do not ride” list is no exception. It would, however, have to be developed in close coordination with the Transportation Security Administration and implemented in a way that respects civil rights and allows for the rapid flow of persons and trains, necessary for effective mass transit.”
Some experts think implementing a plan as suggested by the New York Democratic senator on all Amtrak lines would be nearly impossible.
“It’s not going to work for an open mass transit system,” said Frances Edwards, deputy director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute. “Most of Amtrak in the U.S. still operates in an open mass transit mode. So if they wanted to do a no-ride list, they’d have to have restricted tracks. And that would be very difficult.
Because many Amtrak lines share train stops and stations with other commuter and public transit rail lines, it would be challenging for Amtrak to isolate its riders for any sort of screening.
“Trying to limit access to daily commuter cars would make the use of them very unattractive for most of the public just because of the time that would be taken,” Edwards said. “So we would loose so much to gain so little that it doesn’t seem like for most Amtrak lines it would be reasonable.”
Edwards said she could see some variation of the plan working for long-distance trips in which passengers purchase tickets in advance.
Brian Michael Jenkins, director of Mineta’s National Transportation Security Center of Excellence and a senior adviser at RAND, a non-profit research organization, said that even if Amtrak figured out a way to implement the system, it might not be all that efficient at weeding out a terrorist attack.
“If we look at previous terrorist attacks in rail systems, they were on commuter rail,” he said. “They weren’t on the types of systems that would be affected by this type of initiative.”
But adding any new security measures to passenger rail lines would only increase the heavy financial load weighing on transit systems around the country.
“I think we should look at the idea and see what we would gain by it,” Jenkins said, adding that it’s also important to keep in mind that “apart from Amtrak, the local operators for these systems are strapped for cash.”
Jenkins said the more important point to take away from Schumer’s comments is that a general increase in security on U.S. rail lines is needed. Increased passenger awareness would help reach that goal.
“Most passengers on these systems ride them every day at roughly the same time and tend to even sit in the same place,” Jenkins said. “There are these little communities and they, more than anyone, have a good idea of what is normal and what is abnormal.”
Edwards agreed that the public is the best weapon against any sort of suspicious activity, whether it’s a potential terrorist attack or just a personal safety issue on the train.
“Getting riders involved would be the best step we could take to ensure that our transit is safe from any kind of interference,” she said.
