CBRNe preparedness for passenger rail transport hubs

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About

AIM OF THE PROJECT 

This project aims to enhance awareness and capabilities of railway stakeholders to effectively respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive (CBRNe) emergencies at railway stations by improving their security plans and training railway staff.

It tackles the whole CBRNe threat spectrum including explosives as a means of delivery for CBRN agents. It focuses on railway stations as both a critical element of railway infrastructure and a key vulnerability element of public spaces. The public space inside stations and the adjacent public space in the vicinity of stations is considered. 

 

Facts & Figures

Project Acronym: CBRNe4rail
Call ID: ISF-2024-TF2-AG-PROTECT; topic CBRN
Grant Agreement: 101190621
EU Contribution: 2,498,985
Project start date: 01/06/2025
Duration: 30 months
Project coordinator: UIC Security Department
Project Manager: Grigore Havârneanu 
 

Project Objectives

Co-create

a railway CBRNe security concept with the inclusion of security-by-design recommendations

Develop

a harmonised CBRNe training program for the railway sector for better cooperation with First Responders

Implement

test and evaluate the training program by railway end-users in an operational environment

Provide

a ‘CBRNe Label’ certified training and  training kits to railway stakeholders for a long-term impact

EXPECTED RESULTS & ADDED VALUE

A team in protective suits

the The project will adapt key results of recent EU- and NATO-funded CBRNe projects to the specific constraints of railway infrastructure and the needs of railway sector. It will develop a set of key exploitable results (KERs) which will enhance the preparedness and protection capabilities of the railway sector against CBRNe threats:

  • Surveys, on-site expert field visits and workshops will be used to co-create and validate an effective railway CBRNe security concept. This will result in an actionable guideline for railway end-users, infographics, and recommendations on how to adjust security plans.
  • An integrated, agile and scalable curriculum for the railway sector and for better cooperation with the involved specialised First Responders will be developed, tested and updated.
  • A certified CBRNe training program will be available at the end of the project for the rail community.

ORGANISATION OF THE WORK

The core technical work will be divided into three work streams.

The first workstream will co-create a railway CBRNe security concept by: (1) assessing rail CBRNe threats, current security plans, existing security dedicated hardware and cooperation protocols; (2) creating operational scenarios revealing how terrorist attacks could be conducted and what impact it could bring upon the public; and (3) providing a guideline with recommendations to increase the CBRNe security level.

The second workstream will develop a harmonised CBRNe training programme for the railway sector and for better cooperation with the involved First Responders. The CBRNe4rail harmonised training programme will draw from past projects and will result in an integrated, agile and scalable curriculum for the CBRNe rail training program. The training will be delivered to railway staff coming from at least 4 different EU Member States.

The third workstream will consist of the actual implementation and evaluation of the training program by railway end-users in an operational environment to apply the staff’s newly gained knowledge and skills in simulated incidents at actual railway stations. At least 4 in-situ training exercises will be organised and will involve railway staff along with First Responders and LEAs (Law Enforcement Agencies). Based on the evaluation results, the training programme and materials will be fine-tuned and updated.

The impact of the technical activities and expected outcomes will be maximised as part of the “Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation” set of activities. Exploitation will include the certification of the training programme to ensure sustainability and pave the way for enlarging the number of railway companies receiving the certified training.

CBRNe4Rail Work Program chart

Consortium

uic logo- no text

ministero della difesa- stato italianne- logo

university of Lodz logo in EN

Komenda Główna Policji

Prometni institut Ljubljana logo

municipality grosuplje logo

 

gruppo ferrovie stato italianne security division logo

Eusko Jaurlaritza -  Gobierno Vasco- logo 500x500px

Consortium

Deliverables

Deliverable NumberDeliverable NameDissemination Level
WP1Project coordination and management 
D1.1Quality assurance planSEN
D1.2Mid-term progress reportSEN
D1.3Overall management reportSEN
WP2Co-creation of a railway CBRNe security concept
D2.1State of the art report on CBRNe security in railways SEN
D2.2On-site study visit methodology and report SEN
D2.3Operational scenariosSEN
D2.4Guideline for improvement of railway security level and response to CBRNe incidentsSEN
WP3Design and delivery of a CBRNe training programme for the railway sector
D3.1Harmonised CBRNe training programme SEN
D3.2Completion of all the CBRNe training sessions SEN
WP4Design and delivery of in-situ training exercises
D4.1Procurement report SEN
D4.2 Capitalisation report from 4 training exercisesSEN
WP5Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation
D5.1CBRNe4rail public website with a restricted areaPU
D5.2 Project leaflet PU
D5.3 Dissemination and exploitation plan – First version SEN
D5.4 Dissemination and exploitation plan – Final version SEN

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Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.