In Philadelphia, Amtrak signs everywhere say "if you see something, say something" - suggesting that in the event of a terrorist attack - Amtrak Police are ready to act.
Well, on Friday at 4:40pm - we got a chance to see this new readiness in action.
The power went out throughout Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. Crowds were left standing in the dark. Elevators stopped. There was no emergency lighting.
And Amtrak sprung into action.
They hid.
The Associated Press report suggests a calm and orderly response that was professional and proper. But I was there, it it was anything but. I know when the power went out because the clock stopped. By 5:20, more than half an hour past the outage - there was no emergency lighting, no bullhorn, no one speaking to passangers, and one lonely Amtrak Police officer who referred all questions to his 'boss' as he was 'a working stiff' and his boss wouldn't come down from her office.
It was truly terrifying.
Not because there was panic. People acted well, given the complete information black out... and Amtrak's remarkable lack of preparation, leadership, crowd control, or what appeared to be any planning in the event of some terrorist attack or natural disaster.
If this was dry run for how the billions of dollars have been spent to prepare for emergencies, we're in big trouble.
They didn't have flashlights. Not one.
At the information booth for Amtrack, a single woman sat behind a desk as a line of confused and frustrated customers snaked a line around the waiting room. Once they reached the front of the line they were each told the same thing. No information, no power, no computers. Sorry. A single Amtrak official could have stood up and made this announcement, but instead, they left everyone standing in the dark.
Customers were ushered down frozen escalators in the pitch black, on to trains that sat on pitch black platforms. Once on the train there was no announcement - even though there was power on the trains.
forty minutes after the black out, there was still no sign of Philadelphia police, fire, or emergency service workers. No bullhorn. No leadership. The complete lack of emergency response, leadership, information, and back up power should provide a significant warning about just how vulnerable we actually are to a terrorist attack or natural disaster.
Amtrak's statements to Associated Press are a fabrication - as the hundreds of other stranded passengers will tell you. And since most of them had arrived at the station with electronic tickets that could not be retrieved... the power outage was both dangerous and disruptive. It made clear just how little we've achieved since 9/11.
And, it points up the disconnect between what's really happening on the streets and what the news media is reporting. Since the AP was willing to take the Amtrak version of events as 'fact' - the image of a capable and ready Amtrak response is repeated in newspapers, radio, and on the web. I'd challange any Amtrak representative to come up with a customer to back up their version of the story. There was no bullhorn, nor any attempt to communicate with passengers. That simply didn't happen.
The AP should report the story, and retract this one:
Rush-hour outage delays 300 at Philly train station
Associated Press
Posted Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 8:50 amPHILADELPHIA -- An electrical problem cut power at 30th Street Station for more than 90 minutes during the Friday afternoon rush, delaying 10 trains and affecting about 300 passengers.
Power to the main waiting area, the food court and the platform went out around 4:40 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero said.
Some people were trapped in elevators for a few minutes, but fire crews quickly freed them, a fire department spokesman said.
Emergency lights were brought in at one platform, but only two trains could be moved at a time, Romero said. A total of 10 Amtrak trains were delayed, most for 10 to 15 minutes, although one was delayed for 35 minutes, Romero said.
"We had difficulty boarding and deboarding because the platforms were dark," Romero said. "We didn't want anyone to be injured."
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said its trains were not affected, spokesman Gary Fairfax said.
An increased police presence helped control the crowds and several entrances were cordoned off to help control access. Officials used bullhorns to make announcements to passengers, Romero said.
Power was restored around 6:20 p.m. and normal service resumed 10 minutes after that.
Crews could not immediately determine what caused the outage and a backup generator was brought in as a precaution. PECO Energy said the problem did not involve its lines and apparently was due to an equipment problem within the station.