Jun

X-Ray Screening Comes to London’s Underground

Posted by admin Published in Air Travel

Airport-style X-ray screening machines and bomb-sniffing dogs are coming to a “handful” of London Underground and National Rail stations that summer, but the threat of widespread passenger rebellion kept authorities from installing them at every station.

The office for Transport says ongoing concerns about terrorism prompted increased protection at stations in London and other cities but subjecting everyone to the added delays would be impractical.

“Screening equipment and dogs can be effective in the railway
environment,” Transport Minister Tom Harris says. “However,
given the very large passenger flows and thousands of entry points on
the UK rail and underground networks, 100% airport-style screening is
not feasible using today’s technology.”

Yeah, passengers probably would find removing their shoes every instance they board a train just a tad aggravating. But passengers at the busiest stations will have their bags scanned

by X-ray machines about the size of a washing machine, and
random stations will be patrolled by officers with bomb-sniffing dogs. The Telegraph cites unnamed “police sources” who say the added measures aren’t the outcome of an increased terrorism heads up but rather follow earlier tests conducted in the wake of the July 7, 2005 London transport bombings.

Harris csays the public recognizes the need for increased security and supports the measures so lengthy as they aren’t excessive. The government says they will continue to assess their screening process to form certain there are minimal disruptions to journey times.

Photo by Flickr user Annie Mole.

Original post by Alexander Lew