The 21st UIC World Security Congress, co-organised by Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail and the International Union of Railways (UIC) Security Department, was held in Dublin, Ireland, from 3 to 5 November 2026. Over 140 participants from 25 countries, representing four different UIC regions (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America) gathered under the theme of “Collaboration: Tech and Teams for Secure and Resilient Railways.”
Official opening
The Official Opening session began with a speech from Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail Chief Executive Mary Considine, in which she emphasised the importance of technology and people in strengthening rail security and how collaboration, which is the heart of the UIC World Security Congress, drives progress in this domain. François Davenne, UIC Director General, underlined how security is a strategic condition for the development of rail, underpinning operational resilience and public confidence. Reflecting on lessons learned from past incidents in Japan, Yuji Fukasawa, UIC Chair and Chairman Japan East Railway Company (JR East), highlighted the importance of sharing experiences through the UIC Security Platform, turning individual lessons into collective action.
Sarvapriya Mayank, Chair of the UIC Security Platform and Additional Director, Railway Protection Force, Indian Railways, discussed the importance of the Congress, its role in fostering collective learning and collaboration across the rail security community, and expressed his hope that participants would take the knowledge and insights gained back to their respective organisations. Mattias Dejke, Vice Chair of the UIC Security Platform and Executive Director Security Trafikverket (Sweden), explained how throughout the Congress, diverse perspectives on security models, emerging technologies, crime prevention and major event security would be shared. Christophe Dussart, European Commission DG MOVE, provided an overview of the Land Security Expert Group and the instrumental role of UIC therewithin. Barry Kenny, Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, moderated the session and provided delegates with an overview of the conference programme.
Emerging technologies
Moderated by Armand Raudin (SNCF, France), the first session on Emerging technologies began with a presentation from Yongsoo Song (KRRI, South Korea) on the evolution of railway communication networks in Korea. Then, Céline Lor (SNCF) shared about three ongoing research and development projects currently underway within the French Railways: VIESTA, SHIELD PCP and RADAR PCP. Jude Carey (Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail) addressed the topic of cybersecurity and shared relevant learning from a recent crisis management exercise based on a cyber-attack scenario.
Securing against crime
The second session Securing our networks against crime and anti-social behaviours was moderated by Maria Cristina Fiorentino (COLPOFER) and focused on measures used to combat graffiti vandalism and metal theft. Vincent Connolly and Christopher McMorrow (Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail), together with David Kennedy (An Garda Síochána, Ireland) explained how the railway works closely together with police authorities to respond to incidents of graffiti. Next, Carmela Canonico (UITP) discussed the different kinds of perpetrators who commit graffiti and the various measures public transport operators are putting into place to combat it. She also highlighted the joint UITP – UIC Action Point publication on this topic. Carl Lapiere (INFRABEL, Belgium) then addressed the different measures put into place by INFRABEL to combat metal theft, including tracking systems and local smart monitoring rooms. Freddie Kgomari (RSR, South Africa) shared about the recent deployment of certain security measures, such as CCTV, lighting, fences and even the acquisition of new rolling stock, and its success in deterring crime.
Securing major events
Murat Ünal (Trafikverket, Sweden) moderated the third session Securing major events, which underlined the important role rail security plays in successfully delivering such events. Drawing on the experience of Maha Kumbh 2025, whereby Indian Railways carried 48 million passengers to and from the Prayagraj area over the course of six weeks and reported zero security incidents, Sarvapriya Mayank (RPF, India) described the different security measures put in place by the Railway Protection Force, including passenger flows, AI crowd dashboard, drones, CCTV, etc. Then, Nicholas Ingram (Amtrak Police, USA) shared lessons learned from the organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, highlighting the importance of collaboration with local stakeholders and an intelligence-led approach. Focusing on the security of the Jubilee in Rome, including the Jubilee of Youth, and the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Isabella Maiullari (FS Security, Italy) underlined the importance in collaborating with all stakeholders. Finally, Michael Ferguson (INTERPOL) presented INTERPOL’s Project Stadia and the different guidance materials INTERPOL provides to support in the organisation of major events.
Security models
The fourth session Customer experience and security models was moderated by Sandra Géhénot (UIC Director Europe) and focused on how public trust in rail depends on both objective security and its perception. Paula Fernández Díaz (UIC Security Department) shared the findings from the 2024 UIC publication Trends for Rail Security Frameworks. Patrick Theuer (DB AG, Germany) discussed the importance in basing rail security in a holistic resilience approach, ensuring that a company learns from stress. Fabrice Sabourin and Thierry Anselot-Caundle (RATP, France) then presented on RATP’s dedicated training for transport security and the newly established Command Centre (CEMS).
Keynote
During his keynote address, Irish Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien expressed his delight that Ireland was hosting the 21st UIC World Security Congress. He emphasised that as rail networks become increasingly vital to sustainable mobility, so too does ensuring their security and resilience. He shared that the Irish Government is investing greatly in Ireland’s rail network, embedding security and resilience in every development stage.
UIC Security Platform Report
Grigore Havârneanu, UIC Security Department Director, opened the UIC session, introduced the Security Department and explained the UIC Security Platform current governance. Then, each Working Group (WG), namely the New Technologies WG; Human Factors WG; Strategy, Procedures and Regulations WG; Sabotage, Intrusion and Attacks WG; and Crisis Management WG, took the floor to explain the work carried out and upcoming actions. The 2026 publication from the UIC Security Platform on Feeling of Security was also highlighted.
Timothée Cozon (UIC) then explained the two main tools which support the work of the UIC Security Platform: the Network of Quick Responders and the UIC Rail Security Hub. Laura Petersen (UIC) discussed the advances on the topic of ensuring the security of vulnerable rail users, highlighting the recently published joint UIC – UNECE Recommendations for Combatting Human Trafficking on the Railways.
Grigore Havârneanu (UIC) introduced the topic of ongoing, EU co-funded research and innovation projects within the UIC Security Department. Laura Petersen (UIC) explained how the CBRNe4rail 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. Kamil Szafranski (UIC) explained the BEHOLDER project, which also focuses on CBRNe threats, this time from a technological point of view, developing sensors which can easily integrate into smart urban furniture and rail station environments. The sensors will be tested in two UIC-led railway pilots. Timothée Cozon (UIC) described how the SafeTravellers project has been developing a new way of citizen identification based on multiple biometrics to ensure seamless rail border crossings, and highlighted UIC’s role in organising two simulated rail pilots. Lastly, Paula Fernández Díaz (UIC) showcased how the ORION project builds on SafeTravellers, adding in AI-based technologies for faster, greener, and more secure border checks, as well as the preparation of a railway pilot in a real setting organised jointly with Eurostar.
During the interactive session, participants listed anti-social behaviour, cyber and terrorism as the main threats facing the sector, emphasised the need for further research on critical infrastructure resilience and rated the conference 4.6 out of 5 stars.
The Dublin Declaration, which outlines the upcoming agenda for the UIC Security Platform, was also presented to and unanimously adopted by the participants.
Technical visit at Inchicore Railway Works
Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail welcomed delegates to Inchicore Railway Works, a historical engineering centre for railways in Ireland, whereby Dr. Peter Rigney, Chairman of Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, explained how the archives of the railways demonstrate the importance of security throughout its history. Then, a tactical intervention demonstration was led by An Garda Síochána Special Tactics & Operations Command (STOC) against three scenarios dealing with a simulated armed attack onboard a train.
The congress was proceeded by the UIC Security Platform Steering Committee meeting, which welcomed the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail organising team as special guests.
Thank you to all the speakers, participants, sponsors GoSafe, Immediate Action, Bidvest Noonan, PA consulting, Alstom, and supporter Fáilte Ireland for having contributed to the success of this event.
