Quote:
Originally Posted by rampant_jwalker
High speed rail in other countries gets heavily used, and doesn't have airport style security checkpoints. Why would it need to be any different in California? Actually I would be surprised if they implemented such tight security measures on any kind of train, high-speed or not.
A train by definition is attached to tracks. Planes, however, can come crashing down onto a city full of people if strict security measures are not enforced to prevent that kind of terrorism.
A train can come to a complete stop and allow people to exit in a minute or two, in case of an emergency. A plane on the other hand might not be able to land right away, so even if there was an emergency on the aircraft the passengers might have to wait 15 minutes or more to exit.
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This Train wasn't even a real train. Did the guy just walk away? I think not..
Fatal Miniature Train Derailment Under Investigation, Official Questions Cause
Published March 21, 2011 | FoxNews.com
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Law enforcement are investigating what could have caused a miniature train to derail at a South Carolina park killing a 6-year-old boy, as at least one local official questioned whether the disaster was an accident.
The crash, which happened Saturday in Spartanburg County's Cleveland Park, left 6-year-old Benjamin Samuel Easler dead and sent a dozen people to the hospital. About 20 people were riding the train when it derailed.
But county officials stressed that the train had recently been inspected. In nearby Greenville County, recreation commissioner John Liston told the Daily Mail newspaper that it would be unlikely for the train to derail on its own.
"It doesn't go that fast," he said. "It would take an act of sabotage."
However, the main office at the Greenville County Recreation District later walked back Liston's claim.
"I think the 'sabotage' is highly unlikely. I don't think kids riding on trains is a big target," said community relations director Mike Teachey, adding that "no one knows what happened in Spartanburg." He told FoxNews.com the state has shut down operation of miniature trains until officials learn what went wrong.
Lt. Regina Nowak, with the Spartanburg Public Safety Department, said an investigation is underway, but at this point it's not being treated as a criminal investigation.
She told FoxNews.com officials are reviewing evidence, including video of the incident, and will look at whether the driver was "under the influence."
Jeff Caton, a Spartanburg Parks official, told WSPA that the driver was a veteran driver and had even conducted test runs the day of the crash to make sure "everything was in working order."
"I'm going to suggest to you the train has been in operation for 58 years and we've never had problem," Caton told WSPA.
The county runs Cleveland Park. Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt said the train was inspected Wednesday and went on several test runs before Saturday, its first day of operation for the season.
He told the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg that the train's track, which collapsed in the crash, had been reworked a couple of years ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/21...#ixzz1HGBA6Hbu
Now since someone is stupid enough to do that, just think of what they could do to High speed Rail. Security Monitoring a TRACK (since that is what a Train must follow) is almost impossible to achieve without billions of dollars, since the tracks stretch for thousands of miles. Much more costly, and infective compared to plain flights.