Last Thursday, terrorists in London reminded the world, once again, of the horrors they are capable of. The effects have echoed throughout the globe.

Mass transit worldwide sits at a heightened state of alert; local transportation is no exception.

Amtrak, which operates area stations in Naperville, Mendota and Plano, has taken a number of steps to increase security.

A July 7 statement released by Amtrak stated, “The heightened security involves deployment of more officers and K-9 teams as well as briefings to the railroad employees.”

The briefing are mandatory for all Amtrak employees, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said. They address vigilance and alertness for suspicious packages or people.

The company maintained that there have been no credible threats against their service but are still taking proper safety precautions.

The company would not reveal the locations of the security enhancements, only that they are taking place.

The Huskie Bus Line, owned by Oak Brook-based ATC, is also taking steps to enhance their security. Huskie Bus Line released a notice to all drivers to be on the lookout for suspicious packages or people, said Charles Battista, general manager of the Huskie Bus Line.

This is the first time the Huskie Bus Line has distributed such notices, he said, but drivers have not been given any specific training regarding the heightened alert level.

“We’re kind of on hold, waiting for corporate to come with some guidelines,” Battista said.

ATC operates bus lines in metropolitan cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. It is metro areas such as those that warrant the most security concerns.

“This attack will probably be replicated,” said Daniel Kempton, chair of the political science department. “Will it be replicated locally? Probably not.”

There are a number of reasons why DeKalb is not primary on the list of potential terrorist targets.

Terrorists tend to strike economic centers or areas of large populations, Kempton said. This does not mean mass transit is not safe.

“Even in a major city like Chicago or New York or Washington you are still probably safer riding mass transit than driving your car,” he said.

Kempton said mass transit riders could expect to see gradual changes in security .

“We will see similar steps but on a lower level than taken by the airlines,” he said.

Some of those steps include more security officers and metal detectors, Kempton said. These changes will be slow because of the lack of funding and federal legislation required to institute them.

This year’s White House budget proposal set aside $4.7 billion for aviation security compared to $32 million for “surface transportation” security. Many lawmakers are calling for significant increases.

Many have said that aviation security has been overemphasized, Kempton said. More people ride mass transit than fly and it has still been a relatively low priority.