Amtrak is responding to the terrorist attacks on trains in Madrid last week by stepping up police patrols and "conducting random baggage screening" at major stations, said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for the railroad.

The attacks in Spain came as Amtrak is struggling with its budget to keep pace with a steady growth in demand in the United States, as indicated by a 2.7 percent increase in ridership to a record 24,028,119 passengers in fiscal 2003, which ended Sept. 30.

The Pacific Surfliner trains on the coast of Southern California roughly between San Diego and Los Angeles had 26.3 percent more riders in fiscal 2003 than the year before. Ridership on Acela-Metroliner trains in the Northeast corridor dropped 8.6 percent for the year because of equipment problems that forced a cutback in frequency, Mr. Stessel said. Frequency on those routes is nearly back to normal, he added.

In the first four months of the 2004 fiscal year, Amtrak ridership nationally was up 7.6 percent.