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Rhode Island beefing up rail security | 11.22.2006 | 03:56:33 | Views: 5713 | ID: November 22 '06: The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Rhode Island Amtrak stations will be beefing up security using undercover federal agents from the Transportation Security Administration, bomb-sniffing dogs and uniformed officers according to federal officials. Though no specific threats have been made toward the station, TSA security director Joseph Salter told the AP, baggage will be sent through a screening process and passengers will be checked for hazardous or dangerous materials. "Right now, we're testing the waters, seeing how things work," Salter told the AP. "We'll just be there and the dogs will be doing their work." Last year, more than 600,000 people rode Amtrak trains during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Other cities implementing similar programs include Boston, Buffalo and Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Citizens for Rail Safety released a report finding the need for increased federal cooperation to secure the nation's transit and cargo rail lines. Terrorist attacks in London and Madrid on public rail transit and the fact that more than 181 "acts of terror" over the last 11 years have led the group to call for increased security measures. In the US, there are more than 1.8 million hazardous material shipments made through communities - Citizens for Rail Safety said in the report that more could be done to secure those communities.
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