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American Morning

America Recovers: Transportation in the U.S.

Aired October 04, 2001 - 11:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, what is moving in America, and what is not moving. The pulse of travel and what passengers are saying.Three correspondents in three different locations this morning, posted there to give us a look.

First we have Jeff Flock in General Mitchell Airport, he's in Milwaukee. Also Bill Delaney posted at an Amtrak station near Boston. And Jason Carroll here at the Port Authority in Manhattan.

Jeff, first to you in Milwaukee. Good morning, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill. We have cameras placed all around this airport today to try to give you some sense of what getting back to normal looks like. It's a different normal, though. Perhaps you can see the picture up at that choke point which is the scanner, where you take your carry-on bags through.

Perhaps you see people there that you wouldn't typically see. One, National Guard troops. This is one of the handful of airports that already has National Guardsmen deployed here. Next to him, perhaps you see a U.S. Marshal. Federal Marshals also deployed to airports across this country.

We can tell you, looking out on the -- outside the gates that flights are running pretty much on time today, despite the increased security. I'm with the U.S. Marshal for the eastern district of Wisconsin, Nannette Hagerty. Tell me what the Marshals are doing here.

NANNETTE HAGERTY, U.S. MARSHAL: Basically our purpose is threefold. Number one, we are here to provide a federal law enforcement presence to enforce the federal criminal code. Number two, we're here to assist local law enforcement in their policing efforts in the airport. And number three, we're here to provide a physical presence so that the traveling public will gain some confidence in the safety of the airline network throughout the country.

FLOCK: Is all of this extra security gumming up the works? I mean is it much more inconvenient now than it was?

HAGERTY: I think not. I don't think it's much more inconvenient. And I think that the traveling public is taking the entire thing in stride.

FLOCK: You know how the public is. Sometimes in the past, intolerant of delays and inconvenience. They seem pretty good now. Is that going to hold out?

HAGERTY: I would hope so. I think that given what happened earlier, or last month, I really believe that people are going to be more tolerant for a longer period of time, and they should be.

FLOCK: Ms. Hagerty, I appreciate the time. Thanks very much. That is the latest from the nation's airports.

Now onto the rails. CNN's Bill Delaney in Massachusetts.

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Jeff. You know a very different security panorama here at this Amtrak station in Canton, Massachusetts, south of Boston. Security hasn't changed, at least visibly, all that much at Amtrak stations around the country.

Now there is a somewhat heightened presence of security police, Amtrak police. There are about 325 of them around the country, they have made them more visible.

Other changes, if you buy a ticket with cash, you'll have to show an ID. If you buy a ticket with a credit card, you are subject to a background check, a cross check against FBI wanted lists.

But as far as metal detectors, as far as frisking before you get on the trains, well it's not happening. These stations are secure, Amtrak officials say. And if we address the question, and it's crazy some of the questions we address these days, as to whether somebody could commandeer or hijack a train; Amtrak officials say, the fact is engineers are very securely locked in their locomotives. They're in constant touch with dispatchers. They even push a button every 30 seconds or so, called an alerter, to let dispatchers know the progress of the train.

Now having said all that, Amtrak officials have asked for a $3.8 billion infusion from Congress to upgrade security, and safety, and operations at Amtrak. But generally, the public seems to be calm about Amtrak trains. Ridership is up about 10 percent, mostly business travel, mostly travelers we're told who otherwise would have taken an airplane.

Now we go over to another mode of transport. Jason Carroll at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, since the terrorist attack, Bill, we've seen many security changes here at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

For those people who are unfamiliar with this place, I can tell you that it is the busiest bus terminal in the entire world. 200,000 people come through here every day, 7600 buses. It is as busy as ever. Very few delays. If you take a look behind me, you can see what's happening there. Normally I would be standing on the other side of street if I was out here doing a report. But for security reasons, we're restricted to this side of the street.

If you take a look over there. You can see one of the streets over there is closed. In fact, now we're being told that two of the main streets that are closest to the Port Authority are now closed for security reasons. They are restricted to official business only.

And if you can look through all of that traffic, on the other side there, there is a yellow guard gate. That gate surrounds the entire Port Authority. It's there for a particular reason. Because all of the buses and cabs that used to park there are no longer like to do that; they, like us, are restricted to the other side of the street, if you're planning on stopping in front of the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Also this morning, we had an opportunity to speak with the officials at Port Authority, and they tell us in terms of numbers, in terms of the number of police officers that are out here patrolling, they say that, is classified information. But they also tell us that the security measures that are in place right now will stay in place until further notice.

Bill?

HEMMER: All right, Jason. On the roads, the rails, and in the air. Thanks to Jason, Bill and Jeff, again, with reports across the country here.

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