Amtrak Institutes Random ID Checks

In an effort to improve overall security on its trains to prevent terrorism, Amtrak has begun checking passengers’ IDs, according to Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black.

“It is a ticket verification program, which is not intended to determine a person’s identity, but to make sure the person who’s traveling with the ticket is the person whose name is on the ticket,” Black says.

The change in policy started in May as part of a federal directive to improve security, when Amtrak began checking baggage and trains with K-9s.