Railroads try to prevent a 9/11 on the tracks

Even before any funding starts to flow, many rail systems are acting on their own. In Los Angeles, for example, Metrolink, the regional rail system, is replacing its closed trash cans with a $180 wire-mesh variety that is used in Britain. It makes it easier to see what's in the trash and makes the can less of a weapon if a bomb is placed in it.

Metrolink is also training its employees and police on what to look for when walking the system's platforms and tunnels. Since much of its system is also used for freight, it is working with those carriers on improved inspections, particularly in the transport of hazardous material. "We are trying to create enough tools and visual elements so we are not an easy target," says David Solow, chief executive officer.

Like other systems, DART, the regional rail system in Dallas, is asking customers to report any suspicious bags or people. "But it's still not the same as additional people whose total job is to look for things out of the ordinary and [who] are skilled [in addressing] those things if they find something," says Kathy Waters, vice president for commuter rail operations. "That's why I would like to see more people, more eyes, more inspections, more presence."

Residents of Boston will notice an increased presence, especially this week. Police have already announced random searches of bags on trains. "They will be looking for explosives with a system that can find a trace detection in about eight seconds," says John Cohen, president of PSComm, which is a security consultant to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. "It's been thought through carefully with civil libertarians and minimum intrusion" in mind.

Commuter groups say they hope for a balance between safety and the ability to travel without being hassled. "The riding public wants a safe and secure system," says Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign in New York, where the police are now showing a more visible presence on the subways. "But there has to be balance between safety and people's ability to move around the system."

That's one of the goals of the Shore Line program, which is affecting about 200 to 300 commuters per day. On the train, there are eight screeners, a supervisor, an armed guard, and two data collectors. Tony Pinto, one of the TSA managers, says the screeners have been trained to say "good morning" and be nonthreatening to the commuters. "We see them every day, and this is their world," he says. "We're trying not to be disruptive."

Connecticut commuters say they don't mind the additional security. "It's no big deal. It's the right thing to do," says Bruce MacMillian, on his way to his office in New Haven. June Marini, a commuter from Clinton, agrees: "The more security checks, the better."

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