Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Seventy-one of the tips garnered by the federally funded tip line regarded homeland security issues. All tips are sent to the NJ transit Police communications center.

The new design incorporates user feedback and current web best practices to make the website more user friendly and employs a new content management system to improve functionality.

Involves releasing non-toxic, inert, odorless gas and particle tracers into the subway system and nearby locations. Particle and gas concentrations will be sampled in more than 20 stations covering the entirety of the underground portion of the MBTA subway system as well as numerous locations in Boston and Cambridge.

These sensors have been designed to enable rapid responses and protective measures within 20 minutes to reduce the impact of a biological terrorist attack.

Undercover officers are now riding selected buses as part of a pilot program focusing on counter-terrorism. The agency launched the program BusSafe last week by conducting a "sweep" of certain bus routes, stops and shelters.

The team is being launched through a $122,000 federal grant and will further the Homeland Security mission in Orange County.

Rail service is conducting more passenger and baggage screenings, increasing the use of K-9 explosive detection teams, and expanding police patrols at stations, on trains, along the tracks and other key rail infrastructure.

NYPD's security strategy includes the use of bomb-sniffing dogs, random bag checks, regular inspections of tunnels and mining for intelligence about potential threats.

PROTECT and FirstView allow transit authorities to monitor multiple chemical warfare sensors, distribute command and control responsibilities among agencies, and integrate Metro's hundreds of cameras into a manageable system.

Steps include "gaming technology," germ warfare and emergency preparedness.