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CNN Live Event/Special
Mineta Discusses Transportation Situation in Eastern United States
Aired September 12, 2001 - 16:52 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: Listening to Norm Mineta, the secretary of transportation, he has said, up to this point, and I want to paraphrase his words, the airports in America have been reopened on a limited basis. The effort is to get passengers to continue their flights in order to get them to their original destination.
There are strict security measuring that will be implemented and for the airlines involved there is going to be a severe effort involved here to try and reposition the aircraft that have been jumbled throughout America, throughout the day yesterday.
And they will continue to assess the threats on an ongoing basis. Norm Mineta now, speaking in Washington.
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NORM MINETA, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: ... only ticketed passengers well be allowed to proceed past airport screeners to catch their flights. And all vehicles, near airport terminals will be monitored more closely.
I know that all Americans want to us move as quickly and prudently as possible to return or national airspace system to normal. And we will as soon as we can do so safely. In addition, I have the following announcements to make concerning other major transportation modes and venues.
Major railroads are reporting normal operations and minimum delays. Amtrak is operating on a normal schedule and has returned normal operations in the Northeast corridor. Many bridges connecting Manhattan and New York City remain closed, open only one way, or with limited access.
New York City Transit is 95 percent operational with the exception of traffic around the World Trade Center site. Washington, D.C.'s metro rail system is operating on a regular schedule. Greyhound bus service has returned to normal operations. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in terms of terminal operations remain closed.
Our biggest concern is for the victims of yesterday's terrorist attacks. I would also like to commend our Department of Transportation employees who have shown outpouring of support. Hundreds of our employees have asked what they can do in the wake of this catastrophe whether donating blood or supporting rescue efforts.
The United States Department of Transportation has been coordinating industry volunteer efforts to provide buses to transport emergency rescue personnel to Stoney Creek, Pennsylvania. Again, let us leave here this afternoon with our thoughts and our prayers of the victims of yesterday's terrorist attacks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The secretary can take a couple questions now.
QUESTION: Both the General Accounting Office and the office of inspector general said that part of the problem with security at airports are the low paid, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) screeners. What is being done to improve the screening of passengers before they board the planes?
MINETA: We started this process earlier this spring. By coming out with a rule-making to allow the Department of Transportation to have to the increased powers or authority to do -- to require not only in terms of requirements, but the monitoring of the screening people at airports.
And so, as part of that process, we are looking at the whole issue of how to improve the ability to screen passengers as they come into the airport. As I said, one of the things that we are going to say, is that no passengers are going to be allowed beyond to point. So they will only be screening passengers from now on. The second part of it is how do we make sure the ability of those folks and what they are doing in terms of screening passengers, is increased. That process we had started back in May of this year, I believe it was.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, can you give us some sense of how long you think it will take to get the system back up with the new security procedures?
MINETA: I can't give you a date, or time as to when we will be back in operation. We're trying to make that determination based on the safety and the security of the passengers and the airline operation given the intelligence reports that we are getting.
Now as I had indicated earlier, I had hoped to start operations today at 12:00 noon, but because of the concerns of the FBI and the intelligence agencies about intelligence information they had, and we had a meeting early this morning, and then there was a meeting of the Security Council or a deputies's meeting, and then we had subsequent to that, a National Security Council meeting, which I was part of today.
The determination was made to put off operations until we are sufficiently secure in our own information about when to resume operations to the extent that we are moving or starting operations. That's why I said we're going to allow passengers who were diverted yesterday to be continuing on those flights, and the repositioning of other aircraft. but beyond that, right now, we are not resuming normal operations.
QUESTION: It's the security concern that is keeping you...
MINETA: Yes, sir, that is correct.
QUESTION: Not the logistical problems?
MINETA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The secretary has got to go now.
HEMMER: For those who have been stranded at American airports or stranded in cities they do not come home this will come as a glimmer of hope in order to return to their loved ones and families that they have been left stranded and separated from. Norm Mineta issuing a limited basis return to flight.
But we must at this point try and define limited. It had been told yesterday and throughout the day today that only aircraft would be flying once security measures were implemented and implemented soundly at U.S. airports. We can tell you some of the new security precautions that will be taking place at America's airports: No knives including plastic knives, no curbside check-in, which has been the policy at many big airports in large cities across the country.
Only ticketed passengers allowed past metal detectors and in certain large airports that has already been implemented certain large airports that has already been implemented at certain times. Higher standards for security personnel and more federal marshals at large airports. Earlier we were told several hundred could be sent out to various airports, the marshals anyway, to ensure that security is stepped up.
At this time that is what we know from the Department of Transportation. Airline travel is still a bit slow and sluggish as one can understand, but Joie, at some point it will return to a greater sense of normalcy, just not now.
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