Terrorism and Railway Security - Research Paper Example

Terrorism and Railway Security Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 3 Risk Assessment 4 Criticality 4 Vulnerability 5 Threat 7 Risks 9 Risk Management 10 Loopholes or Weaknesses in the Current Security Arrangements of US Railway 10 Suggestion of Further Steps to Better Protect US Railway 12 Conclusion 14 References 15 16 Introduction ‘Terrorism’ is often referred to any fearsome act which causes economic or social loss to a nation. However, the definition of terrorism in the global context seemed to have been limited to chronic trepidation after the September 11, 2001 attacks which casted a shadow in the world history. The attacks were a significant chain of events as it transformed the structures of interstate relations, redefined the identity of enemies and friends as well as changed the perceptions of security computations at large. Even though the governmental bodies have been providing due significance towards dealing with terrorism since ages, it was in the post 2001 years that the concerned authorities became apparently more focussed towards appointing special task forces responsible for monitoring any terror activities or potential threats in the future (Glaeser & Shapiro, 2001). Public transports are considered as one of the weakest links that are easily accessible by terrorists. As majority of the population depends upon public transport to travel to different cities or countries, it is daily accessed by huge number of population. One of such popular transports accessed by a large in the country is the US railways. It has been observed that there are numerous travellers that use the railway network for travelling to places, either for their personal or for their professional reasons (Glaeser & Shapiro, 2001). The paper will intend to provide an account on the potential threats arising from the terrorist groups, which are targeting the US Railways. Furthermore, the steps that the government has taken in order to prevent such gruesome acts will also be assessed in the further discussion. Risk Assessment Criticality A densely inhabited area of the country is the North East Corridor of America (NEC) which is considered as to be its commercial and political powerhouse and therefore attracts a huge quantity of population through the railways. It extends from Washington DC to Boston passing through popular cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and the New York City. The most popular train in this route is the Acela Express that carries huge number of business and service people regularly to different cities within hours. The train has the capability to move at a speed of 240 kilometres per hour assuring on time services for the convenience of the daily passengers. It is due to this reason that the train attracts a huge population and thus can become an easy target for terrorist attacks (Net Resources International, 2011). In the year 1955, a project was launched by Amtrak which was initially named as the ‘American Flyer’ but later was acknowledged as Acela which implied acceleration through excellence. After the introduction of the modern train, Amtrak slashed its fares by 22% in the year 2002 for the travelling services rendered between the cities of Boston and New York. Across the 456 mile NEC, Acela Express operates in the 363 miles corridor regularly, providing expressed travel facilities between cities. Despite certain problems that aroused during the years of its operations, the Acela Express is represented as an important enhancement in US railways passengers’ standards and also is considered as one of the significant competitors against the domestic airline industry. Sources showed that the Acela Express in 2008 ferried 3.3 million passengers, which was an increase by 6.5% over 2007 which return Amtrak with a revenue amounting to US $ 468 million. The popularity of this train increased due to its high speed and higher number of halts through the most thickly populated NEC region (Net Resources International, 2011). Acela Express is said to provide superior comfort and enhanced professional services, due to which many business delegates prefer the train over any other transport modes. Its timings suit the business and service personnel as it operates during the peak morning and the busy hours of afternoon. Therefore, a temporary disruption in its service could affect the regular travellers who board the train for their travelling necessities. Furthermore, Acela Express is the pioneer of high speed trains after which many designs and modifications have been recommended by intellectual engineers. Therefore, the disruption in its services could hinder the innovation process that can provide citizens of America low fare and efficient travel experiences across the NEC corridors. Vulnerability America’s huge rail network, despite the ambitious dream projects of having high speed train tracks, are vulnerable to attacks caused by different terrorist groups. The main concern for the American government is that it has not been able to employ effective security measures such as metal detectors or luggage scanners around the railway stations. The reason behind such lacuna can be identified in relation to the execution of an airport style security system which was believed would ruin the facilities provided by the high speed train being accessed by a huge number of daily passengers. Thus, the passengers often would not tend to wait for the security measures to examine and develop its safety measures. This lack in security measures has subsequently prompted the chances of terrorist attacks focusing on the railways, mostly those operating through some of the busiest routes such as NEC (Pacific Standard, 2012). Another advantage railways provide to the terrorists can be identified as the lacuna in executing complete implementation of security measures in any train. Therefore, it renders an opportunity for terrorist groups to carry arms and ammunitions along with them inside the train taking the advantage from the lack of screening machines. Furthermore, the tracks of railways are generally through the outskirts of cities or towns where access to these places is quite difficult. Hence, the attackers get the ample time for fulfilling their objectives and fleeing away to safety places (Pacific Standard, 2012). In addition, the railways usually consist of numerous sections of compartments that carry a large number of passengers at a time. Therefore, it has become a vulnerable target for terrorists as they are familiar with the fact that a single destruction can even lead to the loss of many lives in these public areas (Pacific Standard, 2012). Threat Evidences seized from Osama Bin Laden’s residence in Abbottabad revealed that the mastermind behind the World Trade Center attack had also planned and drawn-up strategies to attack the US again. The attacks can be conducted in different places, such as offices, shopping malls, tourist destinations and residential places. Moreover, security agencies have alarmed US citizens that possible attacks can occur in public transports, especially in the railways. The security agencies have also pointed out that the death of Osama Bin Laden will not lead to any reduction of terror attacks, rather, the other followers of the terror outfit are destined to launch a sudden assault on the anniversary of September, 11, 2001 attacks (Entous & et. al, 2011). According to a report published by Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an attempt was made by the terror group in early 2010 to sabotage a railway which did not successfully obtain its objectives. Furthermore, the handwritten notes found in the residence of Abbottabad claimed that Bin Laden was personally interested in attacking the US railways which form a huge transport network for millions of office goers, students, and tourists. From the past, Al Qaida and other international terror outfits wanted to blow up trains and subways that comprised of lesser security measures comparatively. With this concern, government officials have been constantly reminding security agents that attacks in railways will cripple the freight and traveller’s transportation which is quite likely to hamper the nation widely (Entous & et. al, 2011). The assaults were identified to create such a perilous situation that the officials further informed that emergencies caused after 2001 terror attacks resulted in many cities waiting for the delivery of chlorine to purify the water that was poisoned. Thus, the government is concerned about the security of rail systems which have lacked funding options and have become easily accessible by terrorists. A report provided by the Homeland Security Committee states that the Transport Security Agency focussed immensely on the security of aviation industry and thus, as a result only allocated 7 per cent of its budget towards the railways that was expended in monitoring and patrolling rail tracks. Statistics further revealed that more than 9.5 billion people ride in public transport a year and due to its design and operation as an open environment, it possesses higher risks compared to other vulnerable places (Entous & et. al, 2011). Risks Modern techniques implemented in the transit systems report that more than 1000 people enter the country’s transportation facilities per minute during the rush hours based on which it has been noted that railways are one of the prime targets by terror groups worldwide. As observed by Capra (2006), 3 percent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is recognized from freight and transportation services in which the railway networks solely contribute nearly US $26 billion. This indicates that not only in terms of socio-cultural aspects, but also with regards to its industrial value the railways can be identified as a highly potential sector in the American economy due to which it is possibly the obvious choice for the terrorists (Capra, 2006). Moreover, the frequent boarding and leaving off the trains have also encouraged terrorists for easy entry posed as a traveller. The vast rural stretches that the railways pass through have further restricted the implementation of full security system to monitor the tracks effectively. The usual passenger density in a railway station or a train can also experience substantial casualties by the use of a mere small-pack sized bomb even. Furthermore, terrorists are aware that an attack on the most accessed transportation mode is likely to create a psychological impact on the people’s mind although temporarily but will discourage travellers from using this mode. Furthermore, security systems installed in Air transport and Airports are subject to huge costs and are also learnt to be time consuming. It is due to this reason that air travel is costlier as it involves all the costs related to security, travel, food and many more. However, passengers of railway have the conception that this form of transport is cheaper and fast when compared to commuting between small distances. This particular perception tends to increase the obligations of the railway transport ministry to restrict the level of price at a lower degree (Riley, 2004). Risk Management Loopholes or Weaknesses in the Current Security Arrangements of US Railway Intercity services are provided largely by Amtrak in the US railway industry being the solely responsible government-owned organisation in the NEC region. Amtrak owns one of the profitable rail infrastructures known as northeast corridors where the government has subsidised the ownership cost. Reports show that out of the 64,000 Amtrak passengers, a major proportion (i.e. two-third of the total population), are the users of the northeast corridor. Thus, the lack of security checks at the Amtrak stations can provide easy access to terrorists with luggage consisting of arms and ammunitions to the busiest cities of America including Washington, New York and Baltimore (Capra, 2006). In this context, the Railroad Transportation Security Risk Assessment and National Strategy US Code (USC 1161) states that the funds allocated for the railway security needs to ensure train control systems and computers that are used for operations in the industry. It should initially accommodate ‘passenger security inspection facilities’ near US international boundaries and other ports of entry. Furthermore, detection instruments which will prevent passengers from carrying biological, chemical, radical and explosives should be installed within a short period of time. Moreover, structural modifications should be made to the railway carriers that are transporting security-sensitive materials to improve their resistance towards terrorism acts. In addition to the proposed security measures, train tracking and communications equipments must be installed in prime locations where majority of population travel regularly (Congress, 2010). Although, the US government and its transport security services have initiated a lot of programs to be commenced shortly, there are a few areas that are yet to be considered as vital. For instance, the government did not provide any clear views regarding the training of security personnel for the new detection machines. Furthermore, the security agencies emphasised more on the conventional weapons while deciding the security measures. However, the evidences collected from various sources indicated that the terror groups are more focussed on using activist weapons which have less detection risks, but possess the capability to cause mass destructions to infrastructures and human lives (Riley, 2004). The ownership provided to the Amtrak for operating high speed rail services in the north eastern corridors have not been included for government’s security support. Thus, it is the responsibility of Amtrak to allocate funds for installing the security services in this corridor. Furthermore, while scrutinizing the security systems of Amtrak, it can be witnessed that the organisation has not initiated significant steps towards the security measures in the corridor which increases the chances of terror groups planning an attack on these regions (Riley, 2004). Suggestion of Further Steps to Better Protect US Railway Although a short-term emotional aspect is attached with the mass transport systems, destructions in the public transportation can cause a considerable impact on the regular lifestyle and psychology of the people from the economic and social point of view. Thus, in contrast to the risks involved regarding invasion from the terror groups, few suggestions can be beneficial for avoiding mass causalities in the country. For instance, the security experts can organise sessions to discuss the better development of security and resilience between the passengers, operators and the security personnel who are the frequent users of this mode of transport. This particular strategy is likely to assist the security agencies to identify common needs and employ measures specifically concerning the implementation of the successful risk management approaches. Besides, the security measures and services should be implanted in new infrastructures of the railways which can enable the implementation of the concept ‘secure-by-design.’ It is worth mentioning that this concept is regarded as quite effective as it considers the societal factors along with the efficiency and business constraints while implementing the security measures. With this concern, the fact that hazardous materials can be used for causing significant loss to the economy and its inhabitant cannot be neglected completely. These freight trains possess higher risks for dismantling huge structures such as bridges, tunnels and other choke points. Therefore, the exposure of the unsecured maintenance and less vigilance instruments in the transfer yards provokes the probability of attacking the freight railways. Thus, the executives of the security agencies need to emphasise more on the security of various transferrable things in order to avoid carrying of hazardous materials. Portable metal detection instruments could be an immediate solution to detect any kind of such illegal materials being ferried to other places. Conclusion The solutions to implementation of full security measures in the railways and its infrastructure are quite limited due to its presence in vast areas. The most critical part in maintaining the security of the railways is the routes that most of the trains cover. Majority of these routes consists of the urban areas which have limited options where security measures can be incorporated. It is in this context that the Acela Express has been one of the prides of the nation for its high speed qualities and comfort that the train offers to its passengers. It can also be assumed that due to its operations in typical rush hours, delegates from different professions accommodate themselves to avail the services provided by Acela Express. Another critical aspect concerning the probability of terrorist attacks on the railway systems of US is that the train travels through one of the densely populated corridors of the NEC region. Therefore, utmost importance should be given to the security of Acela Express as destruction or attack in this train will mean massive disruption and economic loss to the inhabitants of this corridor. References Capra, G. S., 2006. Protecting Critical Rail Infrastructure. USAF Counter proliferation Center. [Online] Available at: http://cpc.au.af.mil/PDF/monograph/criticalrailinfrastructure.pdf [Accessed June 14, 2012]. Congress, 2010. United States Code 2006: Supplement 2, Volume 1. Government Printing Office. Entous, A. & et. al, 2011. Al Qaeda Sought to Target U.S. Train Network. Article. [Online] Available at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703992704576305691763033156.html [Accessed June 14, 2012]. Glaeser, E. L. & Shapiro, J. M., 2001. Cities and Warfare: The Impact Of Terrorism On Urban Form. Harvard University and NBER. [Online] Available at: http://www.economics.harvard.edu/files/faculty/25_cities_in_war.pdf [Accessed June 14, 2012]. Net Resources International, 2011. Acela Express, United States of America. Railway-Technology.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/amtrak/ [Accessed June 14, 2012]. Pacific Standard, 2012. Terrorist Attacks on Railroads Would Be Difficult. Politics. [Online] Available at: http://www.psmag.com/politics/terrorist-threat-of-wrecking-the-railroad-really-hard-31033/ [Accessed June 14, 2012]. Riley, J., 2004. 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