BART increases security after Madrid train attack

He also said canine units will be more active in stations and on trains in looking for bombs, and that BART will intensify its public awareness campaign about security issues.

In addition, Margro said BART has revised and "tightened up" its procedures for responding to reports of unattended bags on trains and in stations.

He said that starting immediately, BART personnel will inspect all suspicious bags before trains move into "more sensitive areas" with more passengers and traffic.

Previously, train operators would call the control center to ask for advice when suspicious bags were found and the situations were handled on a case-by-case basis.

Director Lynette Sweet said she asked for a clarification of BART's policy in response to an item in the Matier and Ross column in the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this week about a passenger who was upset that a suspicious bag that was found on a crowded train at the Embarcadero station in San Francisco but wasn't inspected until three stops later.

Sweet said, "Our trains can't stop for every McDonalds bag that's spotted, but we can do more."

But Sweet praised the transit agency's employees, stating that, "BART staff is working overtime to make sure we have a secure system."

Commenting on the situation described in the newspaper column, Margro said, "I want to make clear that our employee acted in full compliance with our procedures."

But he added, "We constantly review what we do."

Margro said, "We get many calls (about suspicious items) and the question is what do you do with train movement?"

From now on, the answer is that BART personnel will inspect all suspicious items in "high visibility, high impact areas," Margro said.