For Immediate Release

March 31, 2004

REP. DICKS URGES ACTION ON RAIL SECURITY

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks has joined other members of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security in advocating  immediate action by the Secretary of Homeland Security to improve protection for the nation's rail systems.

            In a letter send to Secretary Tom Ridge, 15 committee members warned that failure to invest in better protection for the 140,000 miles of U.S. train routes, 500 Amtrak stations and 500 major urban transit operators leaves them vulnerable to terrorist attacks.  Citing recommendations made to Congress last year by the General Accounting Office, the congressmen wrote that "[t]o date, the federal government has not taken strong enough action to respond to the threat to passenger rail and public transit."  They noted that both the Transportation Security Agency and the Department of Transportation  have yet to settle jurisdictional issues and that no timeline has been established for implementing specific security actions.

            Rep. Dicks explained that his committee has been dissatisfied with the Homeland Security Department's lack of attention to rail security, even though five times as many passengers board rail transportation each day than commercial airliners, which have received much of the Department's attention.  In addition, while the Department has recently announced new plans for security improvements at Amtrak stations and along rail lines, no appropriate level of funding has been provided to help Amtrak and local transit agencies implement needed new security measures.

            "The large-scale bombing of commuter trains by al Qaeda in Madrid on March 11th should have served as a more serious wake-up call to our country to make immediate improvements in rail security," Rep. Dicks said.

            In their letter to Secretary Ridge, the congressmen suggested several federal initiatives that the Department should consider, including grants for local transit agencies to invest in surveillance systems, explosive detection systems and emergency response equipment, as well as for critically-needed training for first-responders.

            A copy of the letter to Homeland Security Secretary Ridge is available at: http://www.house.gov/dicks/news/ridge.pdf

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