CBSN New YorkWatch Now
Filed Under:Peter Haskell, Richard Blumenthal, Robert Paaswell, Transportation Security Administration
A Metro-North train is seen in Rye, NY on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. (credit: Paul Murnane/WCBS 880)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — In the wake of the near tragedy on a train in France, some in the U.S. are looking for the federal government to do more to address the threat here.

As WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell reported, it’s been eight years since Congress passed a law calling on the Transportation Security Administration to improve rail security.

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But U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., says nothing has happened.

“There are still no standards for training or background checks of the frontline employees at railroads,” Blumenthal said.

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While some have suggested airport-style security, Robert Paaswell, a transit expert and professor at City College, said such measures are unrealistic.

“Because you have multiple places where people get on (a train),” he said. “They get on and off very easily.”

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Paaswell noted that rail attacks are very rare.