[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 159 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12006]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 1725. A bill to require the Comptroller General to carry out a 
study to determine the feasibility of undertaking passenger rail 
transportation security programs that are similar to those of foreign 
countries; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, in the last two months we have experienced 
a steep learning curve as a country and as a Congress in our efforts to 
improve homeland security.
  As we saw with the drafting of the airline security bill, the United 
States has not cornered the market on security innovations and 
measures; there is much we can learn from other countries that have 
faced or addressed the same challenges. For this reason, I am 
introducing legislation that would require the General Accounting 
Office to initiate a study examining the security measures that have 
worked for other regions and countries such as the European Union and 
Japan.
  For example, the $15 billion channel tunnel or Chunnel linking 
England to the European continent has been open to train service, for 
passengers and freight, since 1994 without a major security incident. 
In 2000 alone, 2.8 million cars, 7.1 million passengers, and 2.9 
million tons of freight made the 31 mile journey under the English 
Channel safely.
  Security has always been a major concern for the Chunnel and that 
Britain, France, and Eurotunnel, the company operating the tunnel, have 
made security a top priority without degrading passenger service. In 
fact, in addition to its private security staff provided by Eurotunnel, 
the Chunnel is policed by a bi-national force of police, immigration, 
and customs officers with armed patrols in the British and French 
terminals. And both the company and the respective government agencies 
also conduct routine intelligence-led security checks on both passenger 
and freight vehicles.
  So I suspect that our friends in Europe, and in Asia, and other 
regions, may be able to provide valuable insight on how we can improve 
our rail transportation security. It is my intent with this bill to 
direct the General Accounting Office to complete, no later than January 
2002, a study of rail transport security measures in other countries in 
an effort to seek innovative screening procedures and processes and 
other security measures that may be a benefit to the United States. 
Subsequently, an assessment of these measures would be provided to 
Congress.
  In the hours and days after September 11, Americans discovered we are 
not alone in this struggle and I urge my colleagues to support this 
bill that encourages the United States to reach out and learn from 
others.
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