(The Associated Press circulated the following story by Stephen Manning on May 5.)
NEW CARROLLTON, Md. — Arriving at the station for her commuter train home to Baltimore, Blanche Simmons let out a surprised gasp as jets of air blew on her clothes and puffed up her hair while she walked through a new bomb sniffing machine.
Simmons was among the first to take part in a federal pilot program that began yesterday to test whether rail passengers can be screened effectively and quickly for explosives before they board trains.
During a 30-day trial, Amtrak and commuter rail passengers at the New Carrollton station, about 9 miles northeast of Washington, will have to pass through the machine and have their bags screened during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
Riders step into the detection device — about the size of a shower stall — for roughly 12 seconds. The General Electric machine, formally called EntryScan, shoots bursts of air and analyzes it while the passenger remains there.
Any passenger who sets off the machine will be taken aside and patted down, and would be subject to arrest if an explosive device is found, the Transportation Security Administration said.
Unlike airline passengers, rail commuters won’t have to empty their pockets, nor would they be banned from carrying items such as nail clippers.
Asa Hutchinson, US undersecretary for border and transportation security, said federal officials don’t envision the system as a permanent fixture; he said the TSA wants to test whether it could be used when there are specific threats to particular cities, stations, or rail lines.
”It is our intention not to apply this across the board,” he said. ”It is simply to have this as a capability.”
About 1,000 passengers a day on Amtrak and the Maryland commuter railroad service, MARC, use the New Carrollton station. The Washington Metro system also has a stop at the station, but those passengers won’t be part of the study.
The pilot program also includes a baggage screening machine used in overseas airports. The TSA wants to see how well the machines work in a passenger rail and commuter environment.
Hutchinson said the explosive detection system was under development before the March 11 train bombings in Spain that killed 191 people. He said the attack ”underscored the need to increase rail security.”
As the afternoon rush hour crowd grew at the New Carrollton station, so did security checkpoint lines. Three minutes before one MARC train was scheduled to arrive, TSA officials let anxious commuters bypass the equipment and head up to the platform.
Simmons said she saw the need for more security, but might not be so understanding if she’s running late for her daily train home. ”I understand it is needed,” she said, ”but it does take time out of your commute.”