Passenger rail vulnerable, GAO says

With intelligence indicating that Al Qaeda and associated movements continue to express interest in attacking U.S. mass transit systems, especially passenger rail and subway systems, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a redacted version of a classified report on "explosives detection technologies [that] are available or in development that could help secure passenger rail systems," according to the Homeland Security Today Website.

However, GAO noted that "while
these technologies show promise in certain environments, their potential
limitations in the rail environment need to be considered and their use
tailored to individual rail systems."

In its report, Explosives
Detection Technologies to Protect Passenger Rail, GAO did not make any specific
recommendations, but it did raise "various policy considerations." For example,
in addition to how well technologies detect explosives, GAO consulted with rail
and technology experts to identify "several key operational and policy
considerations impacting the role that these technologies can play in securing
the passenger rail environment.

"Specifically," GAO
reported, "while there is a shared responsibility for securing the passenger
rail environment, the federal government, including [the Transportation
Security Administration, TSA], and passenger rail operators have differing
roles, which could complicate decisions to fund and implement explosives
detection technologies. For example, TSA provides guidance and some funding for
passenger rail security, but rail operators themselves provide
day-to-day-security of their systems.

"In addition," GAO noted, "risk
management principles could be used to guide decision-making related to
technology and other security measures and target limited resources to those
areas at greatest risk. Moreover, securing passenger rail involves multiple
security measures, with explosives detection technologies just one of several
components that policymakers can consider as part of the overall security
environment."

GAO stated that "developing
a concept of operations for using these technologies and responding to threats
that they may identify would help balance security with the need to maintain
the efficient and free flowing movement of people," and added that "a concept
of operations could include a response plan for how rail employees should react
to an alarm when a particular technology detects an explosive."

Finally, GAO reported that "in
determining whether and how to implement these technologies, federal agencies
and rail operators will likely be confronted with challenges related to the
costs and potential privacy and legal implications of using explosives
detection technologies."

Day-to-day responsibility
for securing passenger rail systems falls on passenger rail operators, local
law enforcement and state and local governments that own portions of the
infrastructure.

While several entities play
a role in helping to fund and secure passenger rail systems, TSA is the primary
federal agency responsible for overseeing security for these systems and for
developing a national strategy and implementing programs to enhance their
security. The Department of Transportation’s (Federal Transit Administration and
Federal Railroad Administration also provide support to rail operators by
providing technical assistance in conducting threat and vulnerability
assessments and developing and providing training courses for rail operators.

Additionally, there are
several other DHS components that conduct threat and vulnerability assessments
of passenger rail systems, research and develop security technologies for these
systems, and develop security-training programs for passenger rail employees.

GAO reported in June 2009
on federal and industry efforts to secure passenger rail systems and made
recommendations for strengthening these efforts. "DHS generally agreed with
these recommendations and is taking action to implement them," GAO said in its
new report.

"To date, US passenger
rail systems have not been attacked by terrorists," GAO pointed out,
"however, according to [the Department of Homeland Security], terrorists’
effective use of IEDs in rail attacks elsewhere in the world suggests that IEDs
pose the greatest threat to U.S. rail systems.

"Rail systems in the
United States have also received heightened attention as several alleged
terrorists’ plots have been uncovered, including multiple plots against systems
in the New York City area," GAO noted, adding, "worldwide, passenger
rail systems have been the frequent target of terrorist attacks."

According to the Worldwide
Incidents Tracking System maintained by the National Counter Terrorism Center,
from January 2004 through July 2008 there were 530 terrorist attacks worldwide
against passenger rail targets, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths and more
than 9,000 injuries.