Increase the safety/security of metro vehicles from terrorist attacks

Project leader

Mr CF O'Neill

Dates

January 2010 to December 2012

Project staff

Professor AM Robinson

Partners

National De Recherche Sur Les Transports et Leur Securite

INAS-TEC-TECNALIA

Bombardier

MAXAM-EXPAL

STAM

Istituto Affari Internazionali

RATP

Spanish Railways Foundation

Metro Warszawskie

Suncove S.A.

Description

The aim of the SecureMetro project is to increase the safety and security of metro vehicles from terrorist attacks by explosives and firebombs.

It does this through material choices and design. This increases resilience and reduces the impact of attacks on passengers, staff, infrastructure and property.

The SecureMetro project will consider threats from conventional explosives and firebombs.

The four project objectives are:

1. To increase metro vehicle resilience to terrorist bomb blast.

• Done through selection of vehicle materials and structural design
• Reduces injuries from fragments of vehicle materials
• Improves structural integrity in blast situations
• Offers greater security to passengers and staff
• Enhances the ability of a vehicle to remain on the track and keep moving so that underground rescue is not required

2. To increase security against a firebomb attack through design of fire barriers and fire suppression technology.

• Also contribute to passenger safety from accidental or vandalism fires
• Design of features to prevent the spread of fire and fumes

This contributes to standards compliance for fire protection of railway vehicles.

3. Increased resilience of vehicles to blast and fire attacks. Reduced damage to adjacent vehicles and infrastructure.

• Speed up recovery following attack
• Allows rail system to "bounce-back" to normal operation quickly

4. Reduce the attractiveness of metro systems as a target for attack. 

• Reducing deaths and injuries
• Increased resilience
• Reducing economic impact and making recovery faster

SecureMetro disseminated findings of the project widely. It promoted transfer to high speed rail of the vehicle design and technology developed for metro systems.