I have to admit I really don't understand why people seem very concerned with security on Amtrak trains. Unless I'm missing something the reasoning seems to be "people travel long distance on Amtrak trains just like planes so they need similar security!" But no one would seriously suggest requiring ID-and-baggage-checks for the nation's subway systems - essentially shutting down mass transit - and a well-executed bomb plot on a crowded subway system would probably be able to wreak more havoc, damage, and terror than blowing up most Amtrak trains.
More generally the obsession with identity-verification based security seems misplaced...
