Originally published Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Security tightening at some Amtrak stations

Amtrak has begun randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing...

By SARAH KARUSH

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has begun randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains.

The initiative is a significant shift for Amtrak, which has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Officials insist their new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers.

Amtrak plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" first on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, the railroad's most heavily used route, before expanding them to the rest of the country.

The teams will show up unannounced and set up screening areas at boarding gates. Officers will randomly pull people out of line and wipe their bags with a special swab that is then put through a machine that detects explosives. If so, officers will open the bag for visual inspection.

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