Daniel Inouye: “nearly 4 years have passed since the events of 9/11, yet rail and transit security remain major vulnerabilities. The…”

“nearly 4 years have passed since the events of 9/11, yet rail and transit security remain major vulnerabilities. The warning signs cannot be clearer. Public transportation and rail systems are a primary target for terrorist attacks. Last week's transit bombings in London follow similar attacks in Madrid, Moscow, Tel Aviv, and Seoul, and each attack has produced massive casualties, caused broad economic disruption, and generated widespread fear. We have already been warned twice publicly by the FBI that al-Qaida may be directly targeting U.S. passenger trains and that their operatives may try to destroy key rail bridges and sections of track to cause derailments. We know that more than one-third of all worldwide terrorist attacks target transportation systems, with public transit the most frequently targeted transportation mode. Despite the significant threat to transit and rail systems and the Senate's unanimous approval of the Rail Security Act last year, security funding has remained grossly inadequate. As a result, our Nation's transit and rail systems have been unable to implement necessary security improvements. I am pleased to join my colleagues this afternoon in supporting an amendment that increases rail security by $265 million in fiscal year 2006. This funding level is not fictional. It is absolutely justifiable and necessary.…”