Transit Security Seen and Unseen

At Capitol South, for instance, as commuter Daisey Vargas watched yesterday, two Capitol Police officers toting automatic weapons walked along a platform and peered into the tunnels.

"I actually feel safe, but now I'm a little nervous, because I don't usually see them here," said Vargas, 21, a Treasury Department intern.

Larson also noted the heightened security. "I've seen more police around the Metro stations," the librarian said.

Beverly Allen, 44, wondered what good it will do.

"Look at London -- they have the cameras and the security, and what did that stop?" said Allen, an administrator at a consulting firm who rides Metro trains from Prince George's County to Union Station. "I don't think having machine guns in the subway [will] stop people from leaving a bag."

Still, she added: "I know they're doing their best. What else can you really do?"

Other commuters sounded resigned to the threat.

"You're scared, but you have to make a living, so you do what you have to do to get to work," said Connie Jackson, 28, a federal employee riding from Prince George's to the Archives stop. At the Pentagon, Tahira Mohamed, 28, agreed.

"Sure, you are concerned about your safety," said Mohamed, an accountant. "But you can't run and hide and let them make you their prisoners."

At Baltimore's Penn Station, MARC commuters said security was increased after the London bombings and remains heightened. Meanwhile, conductors told passengers to look in seat pockets for information on emergency exits and other security matters.

"That's different," Keenan said. "That's something you usually hear on planes." And when the train arrived at Union Station, the conductor put a little extra energy into the standard announcement advising passengers to make sure they have their belongings.

"Check and double-check," he said.