Report Finds That America's Rail and Mass Transit Systems Are in Danger
Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and a number of his Democratic colleagues released a report examining the vulnerabilities of America’s rail and mass transit security program as we approached the one year anniversary of the London bombings.
The report, “Detour Ahead: Critical Vulnerabilities in America’s Rail and Mass Transit Security Programs,” comes just days after news reports that Al Qaeda planned to attack New York City’s Subway system in 2003 with poison gas.
“Here we are almost a year after terrorists attacked London’s transit system, and, despite the many promises from the Department of Homeland Security, Americans are still not secure in their morning commute,” said Rep. Thompson.
According to the report, the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration have failed to develop and share a comprehensive security strategy for preventing an attack on our subways, trains, and buses here at home. Nor have they defined clear roles for Federal, State, and local government partners.
“Rail and mass transit security absolutely is not a priority for this Administration. The Department is spending one penny per passenger on mass transit security, while spending nine dollars per passenger on aviation security. How much longer will Secretary Michael Chertoff ignore the causalities of Madrid, London, and other transit bombings before he understands the seriousness of this threat? Americans deserve more than this type of wait and see approach to homeland security”, said Rep. Thompson.
This report makes several recommendations that the Department of Homeland Security should adopt immediately, including:
- Completion of a comprehensive National Rail and Mass Transit Security Strategy;
- Clarification of security roles and responsibilities of Federal, state, and local agencies;
- A requirement for rail and mass transit systems to submit security plans to TSA for review, approval, and enforcement;
- Requirement of vulnerability assessments for all rail and mass transit systems;
- Development of regulations to ensure compliance with security standards;
- Establishment of dedicated funding for rail and mass transit security;
- Mandate security training for all front line employees; and
- Mandate rail and mass transit research and development.
For More Information:
Please contact Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 226-2616.
