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. Full Story