Last week, President Obama meet with U.S. Department of Tranportation officials for a photo-op for the 2,oooth highway project becoming funded for ARRA (stimulus) funds. While there, he gave a speech concerning high-speed rail and gave the following quote:
We also have to build a new foundation for our future growth. Today, our aging system of highways and byways, air routes, and rail lines is hindering that growth .... What we’re talking about is a vision for highspeed rail in America. Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city. No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation,and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.
Generally, I'd be all for high-speed rail. I think it's a great, convenient way to travel. I do think having centrally located rail stations in the middle of big cities would be helpful. However, I am concerned about safety and security. Am I reading too much into his line about "no taking off your shoes", or can I assume there is a lack of security preparations being made for these imagined high-speed rail stations?
1 comments:
In general, I think that the main idea as far as security here is that it's hard to hijack a train. :)
This brings us back to trying to make it safe for everyone everywhere. This is impractical... But also not fruitful for terrorists. 9/11 was a big deal because 3,000 people died. Being in your office and knowing everyone around you was not a reason to feel safe. A terrorist attack on a train would be much less effective, both in how many people it affects (dozens) and in how it affects the mindset of the population being terrorized. One could probably affect more people by performing an attack in a grocery store than on a train.
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