Due to a sibling’s death last week, my sister and I boarded the Downeaster in Portland, changing to Amtrak in Boston and then down the East Coast to our destination of Baltimore.

Because of the ongoing hysteria in the media about airline security and body scans, we were prepared to be questioned, scanned, searched or patted down during our 11-hour journey on the train. Much to our surprise, however, we were never subjected to any kind of check throughout the 1,000-mile trip. The one and only time we did see a security officer was when a man dressed as such hurried through our car as we were approaching New York City on our return trip, and we never saw him again.

Our train, composed of an engine and seven passenger cars, held approximately 450 adults and children. As we traveled underneath cities alongside subway systems, it was disconcerting to think that any disenchanted person could simply board a train at any given stop with a huge suitcase containing explosives, drop the suitcase in any available space, quickly walk to the next car and exit relatively unnoticed.

So, the next time anyone hears the whining coming from a multitude of airline passengers about being subjected to pat-downs, “junk” checks, body scans and all the other security measures being implemented by the airline industry, just think about all the other modes of travel in these United States that offer no security whatsoever.

Martha Stevens-David, Minot