Railroads try to prevent a 9/11 on the tracks

From the outside, the last car on the 7:20 to New Haven looks like any other commuter train. But inside, it is unlike any other passenger car in the nation: While the Shore Line East train rolls along, travelers must run their bags through an X-ray machine and watch as their tickets are checked for traces of explosives. Although no one has to take their shoes off or undergo a "wanding," the sight of an armed guard is a reminder that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) means business.

While such screening may not happen anytime soon on most commuter lines, there is no doubt that rail systems around the nation are tightening security. In the wake of the March bombing in Madrid, officials are moving quickly to find a workable security solution, and they've started with everything from removing trash cans to conducting public-awareness campaigns.

Only last week, officials searched a train in Newark, N.J., after a threatening note was reportedly found in a restroom.

"I think the transit system has to be a primary focus because we know Al Qaeda uses it," says Bernard Kerick, former New York Police Department commissioner. "So is it something that they might consider in this country? Absolutely."

The Shore Line pilot plan is the third such federal security test. The first one, in New Carrollton, Md., tried screening passengers prior to boarding a train. The second pilot program tested checked bags and cargo prior to boarding at Union Station in Washington. This third test, which performs the security checks aboard a moving train, began last week and will run until the third week of August.

"The data from all three phases will inform us about any next steps and gives us the information to deploy this program in a targeted fashion should a special event or credible intelligence dictate a need," says Ann Davis, a spokesman for the TSA in Boston.

While the TSA is experimenting, Congress is also moving forward on legislation that would fund heightened rail security and new technology and also direct the nation's rail systems to prepare comprehensive contingency plans. The industry is pressing Congress to dig deep. "The feds have committed $115 million for transit security. We've asked for $6 billion more over the next three years," says William Millar, president of the American Public Transit Association in Washington.

Mr. Millar says the new money would go toward upgrading radio communications, improving security in train-storage areas, installing more closed-circuit television, expanding canine patrols, and offering more training. "We need proper funding. What we don't need is another wake-up call that occurred in Madrid," he says.

At least one of the proposed bills provides for a significant increase in funding to upgrade the tunnels in the Northeast corridor. Millar says the tunnels need better surveillance. "We also need ways to close off the tunnels when needed and to make sure the emergency exits are up to date for the threats of today."

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