The New York transit authority has moved to harden its defence against terrorism, after being criticised for delays in spending funds allocated to it. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled two programmes this week, a $212m surveillance system and a plan to wire the city's subway platforms for mobile phone service.

The MTA's post-9/11 strategy against terrorism in the subway system had been built around the vigilance of the 7.7m harried commuters who use the system each day. The agency has spent millions of dollars on an awareness campaign, papering subway cars with posters telling commuters, “If you see something, say something.”