New York, July 13 (AP): After deadly coordinated attacks on packed commuter rail trains in India, New York City officials upped security measures on the subways, sending hundreds of additional police officers to patrol and conduct random bag searches.

The New York Police Department said the measures were precautionary and there had been no specific threat to New York.

"We take a terror attack in any place in the world, especially one on a public transport system, as a serious warning," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the system, also announced increased security on its rail lines, tunnels and bridges and in Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station.

In Washington, DC, the Metro service was not increasing police presence because of the bombings, spokeswoman Cathy Asato said. However, officers were donning high-visibility vests, and announcements urging travelers to be alert for suspicious activity were being played more frequently, she said.

New York's two US senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, said in Washington that the India bombings showed the urgent need to increase federal protection for this nation's subways, buses and tunnels, which they called the "soft underbelly" of homeland security.

A series of bombs hit Mumbai's commuter rail line during rush hour yesterday, killing scores of people and injuring hundreds more in what authorities called a well-coordinated attack.