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Computerworld - WASHINGTON -- In the aftermath of the March 11 terrorist attacks that killed 201 train passengers in Madrid, some U.S. lawmakers and IT professionals are raising questions about the lack of security systems in place throughout the U.S. commuter rail system, particularly the federally subsidized Amtrak network.
In a letter sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge on March 12, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) demanded an explanation for the imbalance between the billions of dollars in Department of Homeland Security funding earmarked for new security technologies at air and sea ports and the meager $115 million made available to protect railroads.
"We have continued to shortchange security for our nation's rail system," Snowe and Castle wrote in their letter. "More must be done to introduce improved security procedures and technologies to our rail system so we can be better protected."
A DHS spokesman said rail system security is primarily the responsibility of Amtrak and state and local authorities. The spokesman also acknowledged that Amtrak passengers aren't screened against any DHS terrorist watch-list database.
Amtrak declined to comment on what, if any, security measures beyond bomb-sniffing dogs have been deployed to protect the rail system.
But technology and security analysts said there are IT-based systems available today that can substantially improve Amtrak's security in the near term without having a negative impact on passenger movement and convenience.

Amtrak claims to have beefed up electronic monitoring of bridges and tunnels in the aftermath of the Madrid terrorist attacks.

For example, a $4,000-per-camera license from Reston, Va.-based ObjectVideo can provide security managers with software that lets them set rules for detecting suspicious behavior using existing security cameras. The company just last month signed a distributor agreement with Madrid-based IT Deusto, and the Madrid metro system is now planning a pilot project using the software. Since the attacks in Spain, a demonstration of the technology during a U.S. embassy-sponsored technology expo scheduled for next month in Madrid has been sold out, according to ObjectVideo CEO Raul Fernandez.
"The problem with large closed-circuit television infrastructures is there are a lot of cameras, but nobody's watching them," said Fernandez. "That's where technology comes in." Had ObjectVideo's software been deployed in Madrid, it would likely have been able to detect the bombers leaving backpacks behind and would have automatically dispatched security personnel to investigate, he claimed.
For remote areas of the U.S. rail system, Axis Communications Inc., a Lund, Sweden-based surveillance firm, has developed a "network camera" system that can be