About $6 billion is needed to step up U.S. mass transit
system security, the American Public Transportation
Association (APTA) said at its annual rail transit
conference in Miami. With the recent Madrid rail bombing
serving as a wake-up call, APTA’s President William Millar
said CCTV cameras in stations, upgraded radio systems and
more officer and employee training are needed for increased
safety, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Money for transit security is not allocated in President
Bush’s 2005 budget, Millar said. Airline security, however,
will receive $5.3 billion, while 16 times more people use
public transportation everyday than fly domestic airlines.
Millar also said transit agencies have spent $1.7 billion
of their own funds for post-9/11 security.
