The need for developing an effective and acceptable engineering response to terrorist attacks on railway systems

Abstract

In recent years, terrorism has affected rail transport in Europe and elsewhere in the world. This article gives a brief historical review of terrorist attacks on rail systems and the counterterrorism security measures that have evolved in response. The possibilities for 'designing-in' resilience to a terrorist attack are examined, and some inputs by which engineering may have a positive long-term impact on the security of rail systems are identified. The article reviews media articles, academic papers and reports, government material, and the results of interviews with security managers on rail systems. It considers the required performance of counter-terrorism measures with regard to the safety of passengers and staff, the physical processes taking place during a bomb explosion, and also highlights several issues that will affect how counter-terrorist measures are 'designed-in', including public and business acceptability, reduction of threat and cost effectiveness.

A quantitative approach for assessing the critical nodal and linear elements of a railway infrastructure

“…A railway infrastructure is diverse and complex and includes distributed networks, interdependent functions and systems in physical space and cyberspace. From an engineering perspective, Powell and Fletcher [28] have discussed whether a rail system can be designed to be less vulnerable or able to mitigate the damage produced by an attack. From a policy perspective, Khoudour et al [15] have discussed safety and security policy focused on protecting the railway infrastructure.…”

Modelling blast loads in rail vehicles

“…A report for the US Congress [6] also suggests that emerging trends, towards which security policy should be focused, include targets leading to high economic impact such as transportation infrastructure and tourism. When rail systems are attacked, bombings are seen to be the most frequent type of attacks, accounting for about 90% of attacks [7]. There is also a suggested correlation between number of casualties and economic impact, which could potentially explain the relatively high number of casualties seen in attacks such as London and Madrid, if compared with attacks carried out by the IRA in the UK in early 1990s [7], whose tactics were radically different from those being used by many current extremist terrorists.…”