Security Checks At MARC Train Stations Start This Week

October 27, 2009 11:16 a.m. EST

Baltimore, MD (AHN) - Random security checks in Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) trains, including those operating in Washington, D.C. and West Virginia, will begin this Friday.

Police from the Maryland Transportation Authority and the Transit Security Administration will screen luggage, packages and other carry-on items. Bomb-sniffing dogs will also be used.

"While every effort will be made to conduct the security checks in a timely fashion, customers should be prepared that extra time may be required to board their train," the Maryland Transit Administration said.

The agency did not specify any threat, and said the measures are part of efforts to "enhance security."

More than 30,000 people ride MARC trains daily. The service has three lines: one running from Baltimore's Penn Station through Union Station in D.C, another from Brunswick through Washington Union Stations, with an extension to Martinsburg, West Virginia, and a third operating from Camden Yards to Union Station.