US trains vulnerable to terrorist attacks, say security specialists

Washington

THE day before Thanksgiving, with the country on high alert for terrorist threats, dozens of armed guards from the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement patrolled Union Station here as hundreds of passengers emerged from commuter and Amtrak trains.

But even that big show of force was small compared with the daily security presence at nearby airports, where IDs are checked, bags are scanned for explosives, passengers are screened for weapons, and access to restricted areas is regularly blocked by security personnel.