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Virginia Railway Express Oct. 26 modified its "Lost-and-Found" procedures in keeping with the need for heightened security, while trying to retain the railway’s practice of returning passengers’ lost items.



In the past, all lost items were sent to Lost and Found; now, authorities might be called to investigate — and perhaps destroy — items that could be construed as suspicious by the conductor or mechanical personnel. And, employees maintaining the Lost and Found department no longer will open items, searching for identification; all items will be identified only by exterior observation.



VRE cautioned in its Oct. 26 "Train Talk" message service that the change could result in train delays as items are investigated and/or destroyed. Three days later, passengers experienced a similar delay first-hand.



An Amtrak baggage handler was loading bags on Amtrak #91 at the Alexandria Station when he noticed a strange noise and vibration coming from one of the bags. He contacted his supervisor who, in turn, called 911. The trains and station were evacuated to 1,000 feet from the station and all traffic, including seven VRE trains, was stopped north of the station.



Within about 20 minutes, a haz-mat team with a "sniffer" dog and five fire engines were on the scene. The dog did not indicate cause for alarm and the bag was opened, only to discover a child’s toy was causing the noise and vibration.



Service was restored nearly two hours after the conductor’s initial alert.



VRE stated that, while it regrets the incident delayed passengers’ commutes, Amtrak followed all of its security procedures properly and the incident played out according to plan.



"As you know, we now live with a heightened sense of security and events that previously went unnoticed are now causes for concern," said VRE officials in a prepared statement.