Amtrak Adopts New Security Measures

US railroad Amtrak has announced it will randomly screen passenger bags as part of new security measures, which include airport-style armed police and sniffer dog patrols at rail stations.

The initiative follows concerns about security measures on trains since the 2004 Madrid train bombings and London Tube bombings in 2005.

Amtrak plans to initially install "mobile security teams" between Washington and Boston before expanding them to the rest of the country.

The teams will show up unannounced at stations to set up baggage screening areas in front of boarding gates.

The officers will then randomly select waiting passengers and wipe their bags with a special swab that is then put through a machine that detects explosives.

The company maintains the new measures will not hold up the flow of passengers, and individuals selected for random screening will only be held for a few minutes.

By staff writer