Thanks to the host of SZDC, around 25 participants came together on 15 December 2017 in Prague. The aim of this working group (WG) is the exchange of best practices, to follow the development and innovation of security technologies, the on-going and outcomes of research projects (H2020) and the cooperation on a technical basis with EU institutions and relevant bodies in close relationship with e. g. CER and EIM.

After the warm welcome of the participants by SZDC and UIC, Anna Kodysova, Head of SZDC International Relations Department, gave an interesting presentation on the SZDC action plan, including the upcoming corridors and in this light the options and challenges. The UIC Security Division presented the latest publications, EU-projects and the conclusion of the 13th UIC global security congress regarding security technology innovations and measures.

Based on the results of the second member questionnaire of the network of quick responders, the DB Sicherheit GmbH (subsidiary company of the Deutsche Bahn AG) and the aviation service of police of the Czech Republic gave a detailed presentation about their purpose of use of air drones, the benefits and limits. Some very interesting issues were addressed on the different existing legal regulations and the plurality of possible applications of the air drones.

The afternoon was dedicated to a workshop with security technology providers. Five companies presented their solutions for different security as well as safety issues. They talked inter alia about thermal imaging, fibre optic sensing, intelligent video analytics, smart sensors, face detection and recognition. Within their presentation, the features of real time awareness, the useful combination and interoperability of different technical measures / systems were also discussed.

Following the various presentations, the WG decided to work further on the combination of various technological measures in the best way in order to find the most relevant solutions for the railway company’s needs. Beyond that the legal and ethical aspects as well as the trust and the acceptance of the customers need to be addressed.

All the presentations are available in the security dedicated private workspace of the UIC extranet system at https://extranet.uic.org/

Please save the date of the next security events:

• 18-22 June in Paris, UIC HQ: UIC security week
• 22-26 October 2018 in Slovenia: 14th UIC Global Security Congress focusing on crisis management and resilience, and beside a specific meeting on security and safety of rail tunnels will be organised.