The following was written by Scott Bates and was first published in The New London Day on July 24, 2005

In May 2004, I visited with British Intelligence officials at MI-5, detectives at the Metropolitan police and officials at the Ministry of Transport. I asked them about what they were doing to prepare for an attack on the London Underground and transport system. These officials were sure that the likelihood of attack was high, but that they had taken comprehensive steps to deter attack and prepare for the worst in case bombers got through. These British officials were secure in the knowledge that they had done all they could. Their rapid response to the bombings shows they did their mission to the best of their ability.

If a terrorist attack takes place against American passenger trains, will our officials be able to say they had done all they could?

Washington has been warned and it has done nothing. The first warning that we received that the trains that millions of Americans ride everyday are probable targets for terrorist attacks came with the Madrid bombing in 2004. Over 100 people were killed by the simultaneous attacks in Spain, and yet our federal government took no discernible action to strengthen security for passenger rail systems in America. Our best defense seemed to be the wishful thinking that perhaps Al-Qaeda would only hit trains in continental Europe, but not in America.

The London bombings should serve as a final warning when it comes to passenger transit systems being a target. They should be a wake-up call for action. Instead, the reaction from the secretary of Homeland Security was to say to people on their daily commutes in states like Connecticut, "you are on your own." Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said after the London bombings, that passenger train safety is primarily a responsibility of state and local governments.

On this score, Secretary Chertoff is flat wrong.

First, it is the constitutional responsibility of the federal government to provide for the common defense. As President Bush never fails to remind us, we are in a global war on terror. You cannot claim to seriously fight a war by subcontracting security to local and state police. Having an aggressive foreign policy based on preemptive invasion and occupation of nations in the Middle East raises the threat of terrorist retaliation. As part of any responsible war fighting plan the president must provide for an offense and a defense. Defense is protecting the homeland.

Second, it is possible to take serious steps to raise security on passenger rail systems across the United States. We can deter attacks by mounting cameras and surveillance equipment at all rail stations, install explosive and WMD detection devices and deploy more security officers at stations and along rail lines. We can increase preparedness in case the worst happens by providing more on site training for first responders, building redundancy into communications equipment, acquiring fire suppression and decontamination equipment and improving ventilation and escape routes in tunnels.

Legislation to do just this was introduced into Congress in response to the Madrid bombings in 2004 as the Safe Trains Act. The Safe Trains Act went nowhere. Now in response to the attacks in the London, the U.S. Senate has killed action on a bill that would devote only one-third of the resources for rail security that the Safe Trains Act would. Why? The price tag of $1 billion has been deemed too high by the leadership in the U.S. Senate.

Senate leadership says $1 billion dollars is too much for the security of passenger trains and the secretary of Homeland Security says it is his job to be sure Connecticut residents are safe from terrorist bombs in the air, but not necessarily on the trains they take every day. There is another way.

Currently, the Transportation Security Administration is charged with the responsibility of securing all forms of transport from the threat of terrorist attack, However the TSA focuses over 94 percent of its resources and manpower on aviation security. In the short term, the Secretary of Homeland Security should find the resources to implement the Safe Trains Act by rebalancing the TSA's budget to reflect the reality that millions of Americans remain vulnerable to terrorist attack on passenger trains. Instead of focusing on the attacks of the past, the Secretary should think of the obvious points of attack that are probable in the future and act accordingly.

Washington should also make the long-term commitment to find new funds for passenger rail safety. The war and occupation in Iraq are running at over $1 billion a week since March 2003. We must make the same commitment to protecting America as we are to protecting new regimes in Kabul and Baghdad. Action today may save lives in America tomorrow.