Denver – Colorado’s sprawling transportation system was put on higher alert today after a series of deadly terrorist bombings in London killed scores of people on a bus and subway trains.
Officials tightened security for Colorado’s mass transit system, mostly clustered in the Denver area, but they declined to give details. The highway patrol, railroad crews and highway workers statewide were told to be extra vigilant.
The Bush administration raised the terror alert one level, to code orange, for mass transit systems nationwide.
“There is no indication, official or unofficial, that Colorado or the U.S. is under any significant threat,” Gov. Bill Owens said.
No travel disruptions were reported in Colorado.
W. James Smith, who rides Regional Transportation System buses to work in Denver, said the bombings gave him pause.
“I certainly looked around when I got on the bus this morning,” he said at Denver’s Union Station. “I’m a stubborn old man and I just won’t change my patterns.” Dave Raven was going to take the bus today but changed his mind after news of the bombings.
“It shakes me up a little bit. I haven’t been using public transportation, and I might avoid it for a while,” he said. “I’m not going to get paranoid, but just be cautious.” State Patrol Sgt. Rob Marone said troopers were “obviously paying close attention to what’s going” but had taken no extra precautions.
The Union Pacific Railroad ordered its crews to be watchful on the company’s 1,500 miles of track in Colorado, spokesman John Bromley said. The UP’s route includes the heavily used Moffat Tunnel, a 6.1-mile-long shortcut through the mountains west of Denver.
Bromley said he could not discuss security measures at the tunnel.
Amtrak, which operates four trains a day on two routes through Colorado, also increased security and told its crews to be alert.
Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacy Stegman said highway crews were told to be vigilant at key roadways and structures.
Denver International Airport spokesman Chuck Cannon reported no disruptions in air travel. He declined to comment on security precautions.
British Airways, which has the only nonstop service between Denver and London, said its flights were operating normally. A flight was scheduled to land in Denver at 6:22 p.m. and another was to depart for London at 8:15 p.m.
The U.S. Northern Command, the military’s domestic security center at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, did not immediately change its alert level, spokesman Sean Kelly said.
“Of course, we are monitoring the situation and gathering information,” he said.
