Amtrak’s new security causes irritation

For many Americans, taking the train was an alternative to flying not so much for the price or even comfort factor, but to save all the rigmarole involved with checking in and submitting to ever-increasing security measures that can bring even the most patient traveller to frustration.

The tides may be changing now however, as Amtrak trains have installed security check points at certain key stations, subjecting passengers to baggage searches and metal detectors. For the time being, only random passengers are being searched, but many fear that boarding a train in the future will entail the same hoopla as going by plane. A truly sad day will be when train porters begin confiscating tubes of toothpaste and cans of shaving cream as has become standard at the world’s airports.

For the United States, the biggest burner of fossil fuels in the world, it is in their interest to encourage train travel as an alternative to driving cars, so the line is fine with train security, as people will quickly revert to their cars if the experience becomes too arduous.

The flipside is that increased security on American trains is somewhat necessary. Proponents for tighter train security cite the attacks in Madrid and London and ask why nothing has been done in the US even sooner than now.

www.amtrak.com