Senator Pushes for Rail Safety After Paris Train Attack

The attack foiled in France by passengers on a train, including three Americans, has moved Sen. Richard Blumenthal to call again for planning to make U.S. train stations more secure.

"There are no rules. There are no security regulations in place," Blumenthal said inside Union Station in Hartford on Tuesday.

An electronic sign at the station asks passengers, "Please do not leave bags unattended. Unattended bags will be confiscated." It may be the policy in Hartford but not nationally, despite Congress's 2007 orders to the Transportation Safety Administration to plan for rail security measures within a year.

"Here we are, seven years after that deadline," said Blumenthal, "and still, no rules, no plan, no regulations."

The senator also wants background checks of people who work in train stations.

A union leader said sometimes an employee will report an unattended bag to police and sometimes an employee will take it to lost and found. Training, he said, is minimal.

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