al Qaeda's "chilling desire to derail a train"

[Ryan]

Nah, we've got barge operators that do that already.

 

[rrdude]

I'm gonna chime in and say, "Were I a terrorist, looking to get the most 'bang for the buck', related to rail transportation, I'd find a bridge or a curve near a populated area, that had regular shipments of Hazmats." Kills or injures a lot of people, makes a spectacular wreck/news, and is not that difficult to 1) Do. 2) Find out info about. Especially if the train movement is at night, or early AM.

Loosen/remove a few bolts, tamper with a switch on a turnout. I gotta admit, with welded rail, it's not as easy as it used to be, but there is still plenty of stick rail around this country....... And that's about a 15 minute job.

Say hi to the nice man from the FBI when they visit you!

Just saying what "everybody" knows...........Maybe I should hide the old speed wrench and track bar, eh?

 

[chandj]

I agree with most PP's (except the one I didn't understand). I never assumed that the terrorists were NOT considering trains, but now I am really discouraged because I think the security czars will use this as an excuse to make train travel miserable for passengers rather than spending some money on improving/expanding the passenger service.

 

[dan72]

The other thing that concerns me with this news is the impact this will have on railfans in general. There is probably going to be a lot more harassment for folks who are hanging around a bridge waiting to get a pictures of a passing train than there has been in recent years.

From what I have read on this story, it was more of an idea that they had and there wasn't a specific plot underway just yet.

I agree with other posters, I hope this doesn't result in knee-jerk reactions of pat downs, sniffing dogs everywhere, etc. Remaining calm, yet aware, are our best tools. But, given how the government likes to handle things, it will probably be the first scenario.

Dan

 

[boxcar479]

The only way to guard the American rail system is if "we the people" all become citizen observers. The government cannot guard 100's of thousands of miles of train track effectively 24/7. The freight railroads will need to ride the rails more often with track inspection equipment and the only thing that we need at the large RR stations are K-9 dogs. Those cute and friendly pooches can smell explosive devices 1/4 mile away. Its a far better and more effective method than what is used at the airports.

Great!!!!! now I get to use my PASS card/badge!! book em Boardo'

 

[Trainmans daughter]

You want to know why this report scares me? I'm terrified that my daughter-in-law will read about it and panic. She will then refuse to let my granddaughter go on train trips with me. She already has a total and unreasonable fear of airplanes and will not allow her to fly--which is fine with me because we love trains. But she may very well deny permission for me to take her on Amtrak in the future. I can't tell you how much that would hurt!

 

[Nexis4Jersey]

You want to know why this report scares me? I'm terrified that my daughter-in-law will read about it and panic. She will then refuse to let my granddaughter go on train trips with me. She already has a total and unreasonable fear of airplanes and will not allow her to fly--which is fine with me because we love trains. But she may very well deny permission for me to take her on Amtrak in the future. I can't tell you how much that would hurt!

I would honestly not worry about this , they seem to always make threats and never carry them out , or find them quashed... Maybe this will force the Bad Freight companies to upgrade there tracks , cough cough CSX , UP , CN...

 

[jis]

I would honestly not worry about this , they seem to always make threats and never carry them out , or find them quashed... Maybe this will force the Bad Freight companies to upgrade there tracks , cough cough CSX , UP , CN...

Which bad freight track are you talking about?

 

[Trainmans daughter]

You want to know why this report scares me? I'm terrified that my daughter-in-law will read about it and panic. She will then refuse to let my granddaughter go on train trips with me. She already has a total and unreasonable fear of airplanes and will not allow her to fly--which is fine with me because we love trains. But she may very well deny permission for me to take her on Amtrak in the future. I can't tell you how much that would hurt!

I would honestly not worry about this , they seem to always make threats and never carry them out , or find them quashed... Maybe this will force the Bad Freight companies to upgrade there tracks , cough cough CSX , UP , CN...

It's not the threat that worries me. It's my daughter-in-law that scares the bejeebers out of me! She DOES carry out her threats!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

You want to know why this report scares me? I'm terrified that my daughter-in-law will read about it and panic. She will then refuse to let my granddaughter go on train trips with me. She already has a total and unreasonable fear of airplanes and will not allow her to fly--which is fine with me because we love trains. But she may very well deny permission for me to take her on Amtrak in the future. I can't tell you how much that would hurt!

Well she let her daughter ride in a car with you? We're safer on trains & planes than we are in cars.

 

[Oldsmoboi]

What were they planning to do, leave a tractor trailer full of armored vehicles parked on an unmarked grade crossing somewhere? oh... wait...

No, I'm sure the prime target would have been NYP. Cripple the most transportation with the least effort.

 

[DET63]

I also started a thread on this topic in the General Rail Discussion forum, thinking there was at least the possibility that a freight or at least non-Amtrak train might be the target. Probably al-Qaeda hadn't even decided yet what the target would be.

Perhaps the threads should be merged.

 

[Ispolkom]

No, I'm sure the prime target would have been NYP. Cripple the most transportation with the least effort.

Plus it's in New York, which makes it much more important to the media than any similar target in fly-over country.

 

[Anderson]

Here come the patdowns.

But the patdowns for passengers don't do anything to protect against someone tampering with the rails on the tracks. You don't tamper with the rails while on the train.

This is my big concern. I would think a potentially-violent passenger on a train could be taken down by the other passengers and the attendants, but if someone planted a bomb on the rails in some remote location...scary.

If they up security, I hope it never gets to the extreme that the airlines use...where they confiscate 2" long embroidery scissors as weapons, won't allow you to carry food or water on, and (at times at least) had sharp restrictions on how much shampoo, etc. you could carry on.

If it gets to that point? I'll give up Amtrak just like I gave up flying. I don't like feeling like I'm a suspect every time I travel. Especially when the real danger probably isn't the people queuing up to get on the train...

There are very few things that make my blood boil like that prospect. Of course, one "bright side" is that a number of bigger rail stations would be virtually impossible to set up a sterile area in. NYP leaps to mind...at 5 PM on a Friday, you can't run everyone through a metal detector unless you want to risk someone getting killed in the crush. I'm not joking, either...it's not that people won't try to form orderly lines...it's that you'll get a human traffic jam coming up from the subway and you'll run out of room on the platforms for more people. If they try that at NYP, someone is going to get knocked onto the third rail at rush hour. And this isn't even touching on the trouble out on the streets. I think Grand Central might be a bit easier to attempt a security operation at, but even there you're going to hit peak time problems.

 

[jacorbett70]

Today, I got quizzed by a conductor about taking pictures out the window of a train, and urged rather sternly (but not ordered) that I should delete any pictures I may have taken from my camera's memory card due to current security concerns. That is actually the first time that has ever happened to me on a train. One time I remember being asked not to take pictures at a station.

 

[AlanB]

NYP leaps to mind...at 5 PM on a Friday, you can't run everyone through a metal detector unless you want to risk someone getting killed in the crush. I'm not joking, either...it's not that people won't try to form orderly lines...it's that you'll get a human traffic jam coming up from the subway and you'll run out of room on the platforms for more people. If they try that at NYP, someone is going to get knocked onto the third rail at rush hour.

No, that wouldn't happen at all.

They'll simply do what they've done in the past when there have been problems; close off all the exits from the subway that lead directly into Penn Station. While that won't make people happy, especially if the weather is bad, forcing them all to the streets will keep things from backing up on the platforms.

 

[AlanB]

Today, I got quizzed by a conductor about taking pictures out the window of a train, and urged rather sternly (but not ordered) that I should delete any pictures I may have taken from my camera's memory card due to current security concerns. That is actually the first time that has ever happened to me on a train. One time I remember being asked not to take pictures at a station.

Another conductor deciding that he knows best, yet having no clue that he's just exceeded any authority he might have. First, a terrorist would be taking pictures of the train; not from the train. Second, they don't need to take any pictures, the internet is littered with pictures of just about everything.

 

[tumbleweed]

Today, I got quizzed by a conductor about taking pictures out the window of a train, and urged rather sternly (but not ordered) that I should delete any pictures I may have taken from my camera's memory card due to current security concerns. That is actually the first time that has ever happened to me on a train. One time I remember being asked not to take pictures at a station.

I would like to see the AMTRAK directive on that.....if there is one, it might behoove them to publish it so everyone is on the same page.....

 

[LA Resident]

Today, I got quizzed by a conductor about taking pictures out the window of a train, and urged rather sternly (but not ordered) that I should delete any pictures I may have taken from my camera's memory card due to current security concerns. That is actually the first time that has ever happened to me on a train. One time I remember being asked not to take pictures at a station.

I'd like to see a conductor announce that on the CS, CZ EB, SWC or Pac Surfliners!! What a classic non-thinking reaction to essentially a phantom! Surprised he didn't make an announcement suggesting all passengers turn off their cell phones as well!

 

[Ryan]

Have you gotten a response from Amtrak after complaining about a conductor trying to enforce a non-existent policy?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

With trains I'd think its incredibly difficult to do any damage close to what 9/11 was.

Even if the train explodes in NYP.

 

[Spokker]

See something, say something?

I see a lot of people saying that US imperialism pissed off a lot of people who now want to attack innocent people here. Not sure why I have to find everything about my fellow citizens suspect because the government wants to bomb brown people. I refuse to do it.

 

[George Harris]

This whole Plot is dreamed up by Janet Bin Nepolitano of the terrible terror organization DHS to benefit the interests of their backer, security companies. Long live the jihad against innocent Americans to benefit the holy religion of The Profit..

Again, I find myself in 100% agreement with the GML.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I hope we don't get security theatre because of what Al Qaeda was planning. I love the freedom of traveling on Amtrak. It does disconcert me though as I am traveling to Kissimmee on the Silver Star in a month. I hope we are still vigilant and will always have to be. This is simply a reminder of it.

You seriously think that possible? Amtrak would need to triple its annual allowance from Congress... They aren't about to do it.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Today, I got quizzed by a conductor about taking pictures out the window of a train, and urged rather sternly (but not ordered) that I should delete any pictures I may have taken from my camera's memory card due to current security concerns. That is actually the first time that has ever happened to me on a train. One time I remember being asked not to take pictures at a station.

Sure hope that was an isolated incident John.

We have just finished a couple of weeks of Amtrak travel and I was taking pictures of everything and everybody.

The conductors posed for photos, the car attendants and the LSA & staff gave me a nice group shot on the Cardinal and even the engineer on the Pennsylvanian posed as SHE was climbing into the cab on the platform in Harrisburg.

That conductor must have been having a bad day