The events of 11 September 2001 and 26 November 2008 in the USA and India respectively highlighted the vulnerability of establishments with high public profiles to terrorist attack. Attacks on trains and railway terminals in Paris (summer 1995), London (7 July 2005), Madrid (11 March 2004), Mumbai and more recently, Moscow (29 March 2010) have proved that the perceptions of threat to railway operations are serious and realistic. Taking the example of high-speed system requirements, the question this conference will address is: as one of the safest modes of transport to date, just how secure are train systems against such threats? It is estimated that 17% of all attacks on surface transport occur in India, where such threats come from not only global terrorist organisations but also internal radical social groups such as Maoists.
On behalf of the global railway community, UIC has volunteered to discuss and debate these issues at its High Speed and Security Seminar, to be held in collaboration with Indian Railways in Mumbai, India from 20 – 21 October 2010.
Topics will include:
- General overview on railway security & safety
- High-speed system requirements (differences with conventional lines, Operations, financing with local, regional, national & international funds and PPPs, cost structures, Investment issues, Relationships with authorities, governments, etc.)
- On-track security and issues specific to high-speed: tunnels, earthquakes, training, homologation, quality & maintenance
Speakers are expected to attend from the worldwide community of UIC member railways (railway undertakings and infrastructure managers from Japan, Korea, India, France, etc.) as well as institutional partners (international organisations, governmental agencies, industries, consultants, etc.).
More details about the programme, speakers and registration procedure will be released shortly.
All UIC members may participate without paying a registration fee. Other organisations may participate for a nominal fee.
Each participant should apply for an entry visa in advance of travelling to India. Please bear in mind that you need 3 to 10 days to obtain a visa!
Once you register for the conference, Indian Railways will send you a visa invitation letter which will facilitate your visa application process.
This invitation should be attached to the normal application form which you need to submit to your nearest Indian Consulate/Embassy.
More information in the next UIC eNews published by the end of August.
