Schumer wants more security funding for railroads
Following revelations that Osama bin Laden had been considering attacks on American railroads, Senator Chuck Schumer (D - New York) is requesting additional funding for security measures to protect U.S. train infrastructure; Schumer wants to use the money to conduct more comprehensive track inspections and to monitor railway stations throughout the United States; he has also called for the creation of an Amtrak “No Ride List” similar to the “No Fly List” that is designed to keep suspected terrorists from boarding airplanes
Following revelations that Osama bin Laden had been considering attacks on American railroads, Senator Chuck Schumer (D – New York) is requesting additional funding for security measures to protect U.S. train infrastructure.
In particular, Schumer wants to use the money to conduct more comprehensive track inspections and to monitor railway stations throughout the United States. Schumer has also called for the creation of an Amtrak “No Ride List” similar to the “No Fly List” that is designed to keep suspected terrorists from boarding airplanes.
In a letter to Senator Daniel Inouye (D – Hawaii), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schumer wrote, “One need only look to the bombing of commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, in 2004 to know how devastating an attack on our rail systems could be.”
He continued, “We must do more to make sure our critical infrastructure, including our rail systems, are secured from potential attacks.”
Schumer also sent a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano urging her to consider a Secure Flight program for Amtrak passengers.
The proposed rail program would function similarly to the Secure Flight program which requires airlines to collect and transmit passenger data. The data is then be used to help monitor a no-fly list which flags certain individuals for additional screening or bars them from boarding an airplane entirely.
“Although Amtrak does not currently use security screeners at each of its gates, if Amtrak or the U.S. government receives notice that someone on the terrorist watch-list is seeking to board a train, Amtrak police and other law-enforcement can be dispatched to that gate or to that train to screen the passengers and apprehend potential terrorists,” Schumer recommended.
After the death of Osama bin Laden was announced on 1 May, security officials have been on a heightened state of awareness, especially at airports, bridges, port, railway stations.
Railroads have been a particular concern, as the raid on bin Laden’s compound yielded documents that indicated that al-Qaeda had been considering attacks on American railways.
