Train 170 stooped in Newark for police investigation 7/22

Passengers were questioned for approximately 90 minutes. Details are very sketchy. Apparently the report came from an AP reporter on the train with a cell phone.

About two months ago I was on train 180 headed to NYC, when the ID of every passenger was checked, with additional security present during the check. This was done while the train was enroute between PHL and NYC

I take 180 almost every Monday morning, and the checking of IDs had never been done previously. I'm curious if this is the same train.

From AP newswire:

Police questioning passengers on Amtrak train in Newark

By WAYNE PARRY
The Associated Press
7/22/2004, 9:14 a.m. ET


NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Police questioned passengers aboard an Amtrak train that was detained at Newark Penn Station Thursday morning, checking the identification of each passenger.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/jersey/inde ... ist=jersey

WCBS 880 reported same. Train continued on to New York Penn after about 90 minutes. "Suspicious note" in bathroom triggered the security stop, it is said.

http://wcbs880.com/topstories/topstorie ... 93611.html

The train, Amtrak 170 originating in Washington, arrived in Newark shortly after 8:00 am Thursday morning.
By 9:40 am the train was moving and on the way to Penn Station in Manhattan.
Passengers report that they were told a suspicious note was found in one of the bathrooms on the train.
FBI Special Agent Steve Kodak, a spokesman for the agency's
Newark office, said he had heard about the incident from members of the media. But as of 9:20 a.m., more than an hour after the train had been at the station, Kodak his office had not been contacted by other law enforcement officials.
"As of now, we're not involved," he said.

-otto-

The same FBI spokesman is quoted as saying two FBI agents were sent to Penn Station from the Newark FBI office (which is about a block away).

By 10 a.m., it was like it never happened. No sign of the helicopters or police units that had been there a half hour before. Must have been donut time. Just kidding, of course.

Pure speculation, but I almost suspect this to be a drill of some kind in advance of next month--to see if NJT and Amtrak police can really handle a rail threat.

Welcome to the post-9/11 (and more relatively speaking Madrid 3/11) world.

If this is going to become the norm, this will seriously undermine the usefullness of taking Amtrak to NYC. I'm sure they don't shut down the Holland tunnel and ask everyone for their ID.

More info from AP:

Amtrak train seached after threatening note found

By WAYNE PARRY
The Associated Press
7/22/2004, 10:48 a.m. ET


NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A threatening note found by a passenger aboard a Washington-to-New York Amtrak train prompted police to detain it at Newark Penn Station for 90 minutes Thursday morning. Officers asked each passenger for identification and searched the cars with bomb-sniffing dogs.

Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel said the note was attached to the mirror in a restroom of the train's cafe car. Stessel said he did not know its exact content.

The passenger who found it notified the train crew. They called dispatchers, who had police waiting for the train at its next scheduled stop in Newark.

"The passenger did exactly the right thing," Stessel said.

He said police did a thorough search of the train, and determined it was safe.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/topstories/ ... storylist=

That's the scary thing about this terror excersize. Just the mere hint of a threat can quickly throw everything out of balance. A piece of paper stuck to a mirror made how many people late for work? Its unfortunate that its come to this, but in this day any threat needs to be taken seriously. But no longer do you need to carry a weapon to cause disruption. Now all you need is a pen and paper!

What's the answer?

I guess you all just don't get it. (Though some of you do.)

This is just how things are going to have to be done here, especially in the 'post 9/11' world. I guess none of you have been to Europe in the last 50 years, have you? They have armed gaurds at every airport and they search every person who gets on a plane. And if you run? Well, they subcribe to the 'shoot first and if you are still alive, ask questions later' newsletter.

There should be no correlation between this and 'Germany 1933.' This is safety and precaution at its finest. As the conductor (or whoever he was) said, the person who brought the note forward 'did EXACTLY as they should have.'

Many many many TAs are running campaigns now that say to 'trust your instincts' and report ANYTHING suspicious to an operator, conductor, or employee. Whoever found the note and reported it should be lauded.

Ask yourself. If you were aboard the train and found the note, what would you do? Get that donut and go back to coach? OR report it??

Amtrak did the RIGHT THING. For the safety of the passengers, crew and the people that live even remotely close to the NEC.

>>>Holland Tunnel<<< Well they have virtually shut down the tunnels and bridges from time to time when there was some specific information and every vehicle was closely inspected (not searched, inspected). Same as the train. Note that stopping one train is like stopping a few vehicles at the the Tunnel entrance.

I'd take the note down and throw it in the nearest trash bin.

Typical American. "It can never happen to me." I know the I am guilty of the same ideas.

Not in this world. Not today. I wonder if there was a note or some other type of 'suspicious activity' in Madrid that one person didn't care about.

See my point?

queenlnr8 wrote: This is just how things are going to have to be done here, especially in the 'post 9/11' world. I guess none of you have been to Europe in the last 50 years, have you? They have armed gaurds at every airport and they search every person who gets on a plane. And if you run? Well, they subcribe to the 'shoot first and if you are still alive, ask questions later' newsletter.

I'm European by birth, though I grew up in the states. However, I have visited countless times and lived over there for 5 years. Only time I've ever been searched is by US officials.

Shoot first? Nope don't think so.

At some times they have armed guards, more so in the past 3 years than in the past, but it's certianly not universal or continuous.

queenlnr8 wrote: Amtrak did the RIGHT THING. For the safety of the passengers, crew and the people that live even remotely close to the NEC.

Amtrak did to the right thing, as did the passenger, conductor, dispatcher and police. Better to be safe than sorry, and delay one train then run the risk of the note being true, and possibly destroying the trian, killing passengers and maybe innocent bystanders, and taking out the High Line into NY, Portal Bridge or the tunnels themselves.

Then what would people be saying???? "Amtrak should have stopped and searched that train before letting it continue"

Mr JFrey40535 had a valid point in the "Security of Passengers" thread:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4695

jfrey40535 wrote:<snippage>
However, I would be skeptical of this whole thing if all of these measures are applied only to Amtrak trains and not PATH, NJT or LIRR trains.

Any area of the country that has more than one passenger service has to harden them all ... Southern California, Chicago, and various points on the NEC come to mind.

Obviously, we need technology solutions when possible, or the cost of protection will, as it is doing to the airlines, push passenger rail out of business with unacceptable losses.

My thoughts.

Johnh