The Threat of Active Attacks on Trains
The attempted assassination attempt of the President and his staff in April brings up a concern regarding the safety of travel by rail. As reported by news outlets, the suspect in the assassination attempt traveled by train from his home in California to Washington, D.C. Presumably the suspect chose rail travel due to the lack of security which would have allowed him to board the train with multiple weapons.
Unlike airlines, passenger rail services have very little security to screen passengers for boarding. Amtrak does have a police department for their passenger rails, but they are not assigned to every train. According to Amtrak’s website, Amtrak Police will conduct random checks of passengers and baggage. However, random checks will not detect every threat and is unlikely to deter a would-be attacker. Unlike an airline where a weapon can be detected on a scan and the person criminally charged an Amtrak passenger can refuse a random check of their baggage. They will not be allowed on the train, but if they intend to do harm they can rebook another train and carry out an attack.
The other issue with lack of security on trains is the layout of the train itself. Once the train is in motion there are few options for escape once an attack starts. The train is a long tube making attacks with a firearm or even with an edged weapon, potentially very fatal. Without an area of escape, an attacker can take their time selecting victims. When the train is in motion it eliminates the ability of passengers to evacuate once an attack begins. Some trains do have police onboard but there are not enough officers to be on every train.
Having some security measures in place can help prevent an attack on a train. Having weapons scanners for luggage and passengers to walk through would be a good start. Also, training railroad personnel in what to do during an active attack will help give employees some preparations on how to respond. Amtrak does provide passengers with information in a brochure on how to evacuate a train. This information can be provided to passengers on screens or by personnel prior to boarding, so the information is more readily retained. This is done on airlines and would give passengers an idea of how to respond during an emergency.
I am aware that these recommendations cost time and money. However, some improvements to security on trains can be made if leadership and politicians decide to fund these security measures. Amtrak’s website states there are over 500 stations in the United States. Take that number versus the over 5,000 public and more than 14,000 private airports in the U.S. One would think given the numbers alone the cost to provide security features for trains would be far less than what it currently cost to secure our nation’s airports. Attacks on trains have already happened overseas. It is just a matter of time before a large active attack is carried out on one of our nation’s passenger railways.
