United States Government Accountability Office

GAO Testimony before the Subcommittee on 

Transportation Security and Infrastructure 

Protection, Committee on Homeland 

Security, House of Representatives

PASSENGER RAIL 

SECURITY 

Federal Strategy and 

Enhanced Coordination 

Needed to Prioritize and 

Guide Security Efforts 

Statement of Cathleen A. Berrick, Director 

Homeland Security and Justice Issues 

For Release on Delivery

Expected at 10:00 a.m. EST 

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

 

GAO-07-442T 
What GAO Found

United States Government Accountability Office

Why GAO Did This Study

Highlights

Accountability Integrity Reliability

February 6, 2007

PASSENGER RAIL SECURITY 

Federal Strategy and Enhanced 

Coordination Needed to Prioritize and 

Guide Security Efforts 

Highlights of GAO-07-442T, a testimony 

before the Subcommittee on 

Transportation Security and Infrastructure 

Protection, Committee on Homeland 

Security, House of Representatives 

The 2005 London subway bombings 

and 2006 rail attacks in Mumbai,

India highlighted the vulnerability 

of passenger rail and other surface 

transportation systems to terrorist 

attack and demonstrated the need 

for greater focus on securing these 

systems. This testimony is based 

primarily on GAO’s September 2005 

passenger rail security report and

selected program updates obtained 

in January 2007. Specifically, it

addressees (1) the extent to which 

the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) has assessed the 

risks facing the U.S. passenger rail

system and developed a strategy

based on risk assessment for 

securing all modes of

transportation, including passenger

rail; (2) the actions that the 

Transportation Security

Administration (TSA) and other 

federal agencies have taken to

enhance the security of the U.S.

passenger rail system, improve 

federal coordination, and develop

industry partnerships; and (3) the 

security practices that domestic

and selected foreign passenger rail

operators have implemented to 

enhance security.

What GAO Recommends

We have previously recommended 

that TSA complete risk

assessments, develop rail security

standards based on best practices,

and consider implementing

practices used by foreign rail 

operators. DHS, Department of 

Transportation (DOT), and Amtrak

generally agreed with these 

recommendations. 

The DHS Office of Grants and Training and TSA have begun to assess the 

risks facing the U.S. passenger rail system. However, we reported in 

September 2005 that TSA had not completed a comprehensive risk 

assessment of passenger rail assets. We found that, until TSA does so, the 

agency may be limited in its ability to prioritize passenger rail assets and 

help guide security investments. We also reported that DHS had begun, but 

not yet completed, a framework to help agencies and the private sector 

develop a consistent approach for analyzing and comparing risks among and 

across various critical sectors. Since that time, TSA has reported taking 

additional steps to assess the risks to the passenger rail system. However, 

TSA has not yet issued the required Transportation Sector Specific Plan and 

supporting plans that address passenger rail and other surface 

transportation modes, based on a risk assessment. Until TSA does so, the 

agency lacks a clear strategy with goals and objectives for securing the 

overall transportation sector, including passenger rail. 

After September 11, DOT initiated efforts to strengthen passenger rail

security. TSA has also taken actions to strengthen rail security, including 

issuing security directives, testing security technologies, developing security 

training, and issuing a proposed rule for passenger and freight rail security,

among other efforts. However, federal and rail industry stakeholders have 

questioned the extent to which TSA’s directives were based on industry best 

practices. TSA has also taken steps to better coordinate with DOT and 

develop partnerships with industry stakeholders. DHS and DOT have 

updated their memorandum of understanding to clarify their respective 

security-related roles and responsibilities for passenger rail. TSA also 

established an Office of Transportation Sector Network Management and 

offices for each mode of transportation to develop security policies and 

work to strengthen partnerships with industry stakeholders for passenger 

rail and other surface modes. 

U.S. and foreign passenger rail operators GAO visited have also taken 

actions to secure their rail systems. Most had implemented customer 

security awareness programs, increased security personnel, increased the 

use of canines to detect explosives, and enhanced employee training 

programs. GAO also observed security practices among foreign passenger

rail systems that are not currently used by U.S. rail operators or by the U.S. 

government, which could be considered for use in the U.S. For example,

some foreign rail operators randomly screen passengers or use covert 

testing to help keep employees alert to security threats. While introducing 

these security practices in the U.S may pose political, legal, fiscal, and 

cultural challenges, they warrant further examination. TSA has reported 

taking steps to identify foreign best practices for rail security. www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-442T.

To view the full product, including the scope 

and methodology, click on the link above. 

For more information, contact Cathleen 

Berrick at (202) 512-3404 or

berrickc@gao.gov. 
Madam Chairwoman and Members of the Subcommittee: 

Thank you for inviting me to participate in today’s hearing on federal rail 

and public transportation security efforts. Since September 11, 2001, TSA 

has focused much of its efforts and resources on meeting legislative 

mandates to strengthen commercial aviation security. However, TSA has

recently placed additional focus on securing surface modes of

transportation, particularly in the area of passenger rail. Surface modes of 

transportation, which include passenger and freight rail, mass transit, 

highways, including commercial vehicles, and pipelines, are inherently 

open and difficult to secure. One of the critical challenges facing federal 

agencies and the rail system operators they oversee or support is finding 

ways to protect these systems from potential terrorist attacks without 

compromising the accessibility and efficiency of rail travel. The Madrid 

commuter rail attacks in March 2004, London rail bombings in July 2005, 

and Mumbai, India train bombings just last year, highlight the

vulnerabilities of passenger rail and other surface transportation systems 

and made clear that even when security precautions are put into place, 

these systems remain vulnerable to attack. Securing rail and surface 

transportation systems is a daunting task, requiring that the federal 

government develop a clear strategy, including goals and objectives, for 

strengthening the security of these systems. As part of that strategy, it is 

also critical to assess the risks facing these systems so that limited 

resources and security efforts can be prioritized to the areas of greatest 

need. Furthermore, because the responsibility for securing rail and other 

transportation modes is shared between federal, state, and local 

governments and the private sector, it is critical that the federal 

government develop partnerships and coordinate its security efforts with 

transportation industry stakeholders. 

As we have reported previously, the sheer number of stakeholders 

involved in securing surface transportation modes, including passenger 

rail, can sometimes lead to communication challenges, duplication of 

effort, and confusion about roles and responsibilities. Regarding passenger 

rail security, key Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stakeholders

with critical roles include the Transportation Security Administration 

(TSA), which is responsible for the security of all modes of transportation, 

including developing a national strategy and plan for securing the 

transportation sector as well as supporting plans for each transportation 

mode. In addition, the DHS Office for Grants and Training (OGT) provides 

grant funds to rail operators and conducts risk assessments for passenger 

rail agencies. Within the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal

Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

Page 1 GAO-07-442T 
have responsibilities for passenger and freight rail safety and security. In 

addition, public and private passenger rail operators are also responsible 

for securing their rail systems. 

At the federal level, another significant challenge related to securing 

passenger rail systems involves allocating resources based on risk. Within 

and among all modes of transportation, there is competition for resources, 

as federal, state, and local agencies and transportation operators seek to 

identify and invest in appropriate security measures to safeguard these 

systems while also investing in other capital and operational 

improvements. Moreover, given competing priorities and limited homeland 

security resources, difficult policy decisions have to be made by Congress 

and the executive branch to prioritize security efforts and direct resources 

to the areas of greatest risk within and among transportation modes and 

across other nationally critical sectors. 

In this regard, to help federal decision makers determine how to best 

allocate limited resources, we have advocated, the National Commission 

on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) has 

recommended, and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act 

of 2004 provides that a risk management approach be employed to guide 

decision making related to homeland security resources. A risk 

management approach entails a continuous process of managing risks 

through a series of actions, including setting strategic goals and objectives, 

assessing and quantifying risks, evaluating alternative security measures, 

selecting which measures to undertake, and implementing and monitoring 

those measures. 

My testimony today focuses on the progress federal agencies and domestic 

passenger rail operators have made in developing and implementing 

security strategies and setting security priorities in the wake of September 

11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the security practices implemented by 

foreign passenger rail operators. In particular, my testimony highlights 

three key areas: (1) the extent to which DHS has assessed the risks facing 

the U.S. passenger rail system and developed a strategy based on risk 

assessment for securing all modes of transportation, including passenger 

rail; (2) the actions that TSA and other federal agencies have taken to 

enhance the security of the U.S. passenger rail system, improve federal 

coordination, and develop industry partnerships; and (3) the security 

practices that domestic and selected foreign passenger rail operators have 

Page 2 GAO-07-442T 
implemented to enhance security. My comments today are based on GAO’s 

September 2005 report addressing the security of the U.S. passenger rail 

system.1

 This report was based on work conducted at DHS, DOT, and 

Amtrak, as well as 32 passenger rail operators in the U.S., and 

13 passenger rail operators in 7 European and Asian countries. In addition, 

in January 2007, we obtained selected updates from DHS regarding its 

efforts to secure passenger rail systems. We conducted our work in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

We have been requested by this Committee to conduct a follow-on review 

of passenger rail security, which we expect to initiate in the near future. In 

addition, we have been requested to assess the security of other surface 

modes of transportation—including freight rail, commercial vehicles, and 

highway infrastructure—which we have underway or will initiate later this

year. 

DHS has made progress in assessing the risks facing the U.S. passenger 

rail system, but has not completed a plan based on that risk assessment for 

securing the entire transportation sector as required by the National 

Infrastructure Protection Plan and supporting plans for each mode of 

surface transportation, including passenger rail. The DHS OGT has 

developed and conducted risk assessments of passenger rail systems to 

identify and protect rail assets that are vulnerable to attack, such as 

stations and bridges. TSA has also conducted risk assessments, including a 

threat assessment of mass transit and passenger rail and assessments of 

individual critical rail assets. However, we reported in September 2005 

that while TSA had begun to establish a methodology for determining how 

to analyze and characterize the risks identified, the agency had not 

completed a comprehensive risk assessment of the passenger rail system. 

We found that, until TSA completed this effort, the agency may be limited 

in its ability to prioritize passenger rail assets and help guide security 

investment decisions about protecting them. Since that time, TSA reported 

that it is working with rail transit agencies to update risk assessments that 

FTA and FRA conducted after September 11. TSA expects the 50 largest 

rail transit agencies to complete security self assessments in early 2007.

According to TSA, the agency is using the results of these assessments to 

set priorities, and has identified underground and underwater rail 

In Summary 

 1

GAO, Passenger Rail Security: Enhanced Federal Leadership Needed to Prioritize and 

Guide Security Efforts, GAO-05-851 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 2005). 

Page 3 GAO-07-442T 
infrastructure and high density passenger rail stations as assets at highest 

risk. In addition, at the time of our report, DHS had begun developing, but 

had not yet completed, a framework to help federal agencies and the 

private sector develop a consistent approach for analyzing and comparing 

risks to transportation and other critical sectors. Furthermore, TSA has 

not yet issued a Transportation Sector Specific Plan (TSSP) and 

supporting plans for rail and other modes of surface transportation, as 

required by DHS’s National Infrastructure Protection Plan and a December 

2006 Executive Order. Until TSA issues the TSSP and modal plans, the 

agency lacks a clear strategy with goals and objectives for securing the 

overall transportation sector, including passenger rail. 

Before and after September 11, 2001, FTA and FRA undertook a number of 

initiatives to enhance passenger rail security, including conducting 

security readiness assessments, providing grants for emergency response 

drills and training, and developing security awareness programs for rail 

passengers and employees. However, we reported in September 2005 that

TSA’s coordination efforts with DOT and industry stakeholders related to 

passenger rail security could be improved. In March 2004, after terrorist 

attacks on the rail system in Madrid, TSA issued security directives for 

passenger rail and mass transit. These directives were intended to 

establish standard protective measures for all passenger rail operators, 

including Amtrak. However, federal and rail industry stakeholders 

questioned the extent to which these directives were based on industry 

best practices and expressed confusion about how TSA would monitor 

compliance with the directives. In the 16 months since the completion of 

our work, TSA has reported taking additional actions to strengthen the 

security of the passenger rail system. For example, TSA has tested rail 

security technologies, developed training tools for rail workers, and issued 

a proposed rule in December 2006 regarding passenger and freight rail 

security, among other efforts. TSA has also taken steps to better 

coordinate with DOT regarding rail security roles and responsibilities and 

develop partnerships with industry stakeholders. The memorandum of 

understanding between DHS and DOT was updated to include specific 

agreements between TSA and FTA in September 2005, and between TSA 

and FRA in September 2006, to delineate security-related roles and 

responsibilities, among other things, for passenger rail and mass transit. In

addition, TSA established an Office of Transportation Sector Network 

Management and offices for each mode of transportation to develop 

security policies and partnerships with industry stakeholders, including 

passenger rail and other surface transportation modes. 

Page 4 GAO-07-442T 
Domestic and foreign passenger rail operators we contacted during our 

prior work on passenger rail security had taken a range of actions to 

secure their systems. Most had implemented customer awareness 

programs to encourage passengers to remain vigilant and report 

suspicious activities, increased the number and visibility of security 

personnel, increased the use of canine teams to detect explosives, 

enhanced employee training programs, upgraded security technology, 

tightened access controls, and made rail system design improvements to 

enhance security. We also observed security practices among certain 

foreign passenger rail systems or their governments that were not used, or

used to the same degree, by the domestic rail operators we contacted or 

by the U.S. government which could be considered for use in the U.S. For

example, we found that some foreign rail operators randomly screened 

passengers or utilized covert testing to help keep employees alert to 

security threats, and some foreign governments maintained centralized 

clearinghouses on rail security technologies and best practices. While 

introducing any of these security practices into the U.S. rail system may 

pose political, legal, fiscal, and cultural challenges, they nevertheless 

warrant further examination. Since our report on passenger rail security 

was issued, TSA has reported taking steps to coordinate with foreign 

passenger rail operators and governments to identify security best 

practices. In addition, in January 2007, a TSA official stated that the 

agency was developing a clearinghouse of transportation security 

technologies, but a completion date for this effort was not currently 

available. 

In our September 2005 report on passenger rail security, we 

recommended, among other things, that TSA establish a plan with 

timelines for completing its methodology for conducting risk assessments 

and develop security standards that reflect industry best practices and can 

be measured and enforced. These actions should help ensure that the 

federal government has the information it needs to prioritize passenger rail 

assets based on risk, and evaluate, select, and implement measures to help 

the passenger rail operators protect their systems against terrorism. In 

addition, we recommended that the Secretary of DHS, in collaboration 

with DOT and the passenger rail industry, determine the feasibility, in a 

risk management context, of implementing certain security practices used

by foreign rail operators. DHS, DOT, and Amtrak generally agreed with the

report’s recommendations. However, as of February 2007, DHS has not 

provided a formal response indicating if or how it has implemented these 

recommendations. 

Page 5 GAO-07-442T 
Each weekday, 11.3 million passengers in 35 metropolitan areas and 

22 states use some form of rail transit (commuter, heavy, or light rail).2

Commuter rail systems typically operate on railroad tracks and provide 

regional service between a central city and adjacent suburbs. Commuter 

rail systems are traditionally associated with older industrial cities, such 

as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Heavy rail systems—

subway systems like New York City’s transit system and Washington, 

D.C.’s Metro—typically operate on fixed rail lines within a metropolitan 

area and have the capacity for a heavy volume of traffic. Amtrak operates 

the nation’s primary intercity passenger rail service over a 22,000-mile 

network, primarily over freight railroad tracks. Amtrak serves more than 

500 stations (240 of which are staffed) in 46 states and the District of 

Columbia, and it carried more than 25 million passengers during FY 2005. 

Background 

Overview of the Passenger 

Rail System 

Passenger Rail Systems 

Are Inherently Vulnerable

to Terrorist Attacks 

Certain characteristics of domestic and foreign passenger rail systems 

make them inherently vulnerable to terrorist attacks and therefore difficult 

to secure. By design, passenger rail systems are open, have multiple access 

points, are hubs serving multiple carriers, and, in some cases, have no

barriers so that they can move large numbers of people quickly. In 

contrast, the U.S. commercial aviation system is housed in closed and 

controlled locations with few entry points. The openness of passenger rail 

systems can leave them vulnerable because operator personnel cannot

completely monitor or control who enters or leaves the systems. In 

addition, other characteristics of some passenger rail systems—high 

ridership, expensive infrastructure, economic importance, and location 

(large metropolitan areas or tourist destinations)—also make them 

attractive targets for terrorists because of the potential for mass casualties 

and economic damage and disruption. Moreover, some of these same 

characteristics make passenger rail systems difficult to secure. For 

example, the numbers of riders that pass through a subway system—

especially during peak hours—may make the sustained use of some 

security measures, such as metal detectors, difficult because they could 

result in long lines that disrupt scheduled service. In addition, multiple 

 2

The American Public Transportation Association compiled this fiscal year 2003 ridership 

data from FTA’s National Transit Database. These are the most current data available. Rail

transit systems in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are included in these statistics. 

Page 6 GAO-07-442T 
access points along extended routes could make the cost of securing each

location prohibitive. Balancing the potential economic impact of security

enhancements with the benefits of such measures is a difficult challenge. 

Multiple Stakeholders 

Share Responsibility for 

Securing Passenger Rail 

Systems 

Securing the nation’s passenger rail systems is a shared responsibility 

requiring coordinated action on the part of federal, state, and local 

governments; the private sector; and rail passengers who ride these 

systems. Since the September 11th attacks, the role of federal agencies in 

securing the nation’s transportation systems, including passenger rail, 

have continued to evolve. Prior to September 11th, FTA and FRA, within 

DOT, were the primary federal entities involved in passenger rail security 

matters. In response to the attacks of September 11th, Congress passed 

the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), which created TSA 

within DOT and defined its primary responsibility as ensuring the security 

of all modes of transportation, although its provisions focus primarily on 

aviation security.3

 The act also gives TSA regulatory authority for security 

over all transportation modes. With the passage of the Homeland Security 

Act of 2002, TSA was transferred, along with over 20 other agencies, to the 

Department of Homeland Security.4

 The Intelligence Reform and 

Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires the Secretary of Homeland 

Security, working jointly with the Secretary of Transportation, to develop

a National Strategy for Transportation Security and transportation modal 

security plans. 5 TSA issued the National Strategy for Transportation 

Security in 2005. In addition, the DHS National Infrastructure Protection 

Plan (NIPP) required the development of a Transportation Sector Specific 

Plan. In accordance with the NIPP, a December 2006 Executive Order 

required the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a TSSP by 

December 31, 2006, and supporting plans for each mode of surface 

transportation not later than 90 days after completion of the TSSP. 6

According to the NIPP, sector specific plans should, among other things,

define the goals and objectives to secure the sector, assess the risks facing 

 3

See Pub. L. No. 107-71, 115 Stat. 597 (2001). 

4

See Pub. L. No. 107-296 § 403, 116 Stat. 2135, 2178 (2002). 

5

Pub. L. No. 108-458, §4001, 118 Stat. 3638, 3710-12 (codified at 49 U.S.C. § 114(t)). 

6

 On December 5, 2006, the President issued Executive Order 13416, which requires among

other things, that DHS develop a comprehensive transportation systems sector specific 

plan, as defined in the NIPP, not later than December 31, 2006. See 71 Fed. Reg. 71,033 

(Dec. 7, 2006). 

Page 7 GAO-07-442T 
the sector, identify the critical assets and infrastructure and develop 

programs to protect them, and develop security partnerships with industry 

stakeholders within the sector. As of February 2007, TSA had not yet 

completed the TSSP or the supporting plans for each surface 

transportation mode. 

Within DHS, OGT, formerly the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), 

has become the federal source for security funding of passenger rail 

systems. 7 OGT is the principal component of DHS responsible for 

preparing the United States against acts of terrorism and has primary 

responsibility within the executive branch for assisting and supporting 

DHS, in coordination with other directorates and entities outside of the 

department, in conducting risk analysis and risk management activities of

state and local governments. In carrying out its mission, OGT provides 

training, funds for the purchase of equipment, support for the planning and 

execution of exercises, technical assistance, and other support to assist 

states, local jurisdictions, and the private sector to prevent, prepare for, 

and respond to acts of terrorism. OGT created and is administering two 

grant programs focused specifically on transportation security, the Transit 

Security Grant Program and the Intercity Passenger Rail Security Grant 

Program. These programs provide financial assistance to address security 

preparedness and enhancements for passenger rail and transit systems. 

During fiscal year 2006, OGT provided $110 million to passenger rail 

transit agencies through the Transit Security Grant Program and about 

$7 million to Amtrak through the Intercity Passenger Rail Security Grant 

Program. During fiscal year 2007, OGT plans to distribute $156 million of 

for rail and bus security grants and $8 million to Amtrak. 

While TSA is the lead federal agency for ensuring the security of all 

transportation modes, FTA conducts safety and security activities, 

 7

OGT originated within the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs in 1998 as 

the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP). Pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 

2002, ODP was transferred to DHS in March 2003. See Pub. L. No. 107-296, § 403(5), 116

Stat. at 2178 (codified at 6 U.S.C. § 203(5)). In March 2004, the Secretary of Homeland 

Security consolidated ODP with the Office of State and Local Government Coordination to 

form the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP).

SLGCP, which reports directly to the DHS Secretary, was created to provide a “one-stop

shop” for the numerous federal preparedness initiatives applicable to state and local 

governments. Recently, SLGCP was incorporated under the Preparedness Directorate as 

OGT. Pursuant to the Department of Homeland Security Act, 2007, OGT is to be 

transferred, along with certain other components of the Preparedness Directorate, into the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency effective March 31, 2007. Pub. L. No. 109-295, §

611(13), 120 Stat. 1355, 1400 (2006)." 

Page 8 GAO-07-442T 
including training, research, technical assistance, and demonstration 

projects. In addition, FTA promotes safety and security through its grantmaking authority. FRA has regulatory authority for rail safety over 

commuter rail operators and Amtrak, and employs over 400 rail inspectors 

that periodically monitor the implementation of safety and security plans 

at these systems.8

State and local governments, passenger rail operators, and private industry 

are also important stakeholders in the nation’s rail security efforts. State 

and local governments may own or operate a significant portion of the 

passenger rail system. Passenger rail operators, which can be public or 

private entities, are responsible for administering and managing passenger

rail activities and services. Passenger rail operators can directly operate 

the service provided or contract for all or part of the total service. 

Although all levels of government are involved in passenger rail security, 

the primary responsibility for securing passenger rail systems rests with 

passenger rail operators. 

Assessing and Managing 

Risks to Rail Infrastructure 

Using a Risk Management 

Approach 

Risk management is a tool for informing policy makers’ decisions about 

assessing risks, allocating resources, and taking actions under conditions 

of uncertainty. In recent years, the President, through Homeland Security 

Presidential Directives (HSPD), and Congress, through the Intelligence 

Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, provided for federal 

agencies with homeland security responsibilities to apply risk-based 

principles to inform their decision making regarding allocating limited 

resources and prioritizing security activities. The 9/11 Commission 

recommended that the U.S. government should identify and evaluate the 

transportation assets that need to be protected, set risk-based priorities 

for defending them, select the most practical and cost-effective ways of 

doing so, and then develop a plan, budget, and funding to implement the 

 8

FRA administers and enforces federal laws and regulations that are designed to promote

safety on railroads, such as track maintenance, inspection standards, equipment standards, 

and operating practices. FRA exercises jurisdiction over all areas of railroad safety 

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 20103.

Page 9 GAO-07-442T 
effort.9

 We have previously reported that a risk management approach can

help to prioritize and focus the programs designed to combat terrorism. 

Risk management, as applied in the homeland security context, can help 

federal decision-makers determine where and how to invest limited 

resources within and among the various modes of transportation. 

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 also directed the department’s 

Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection to use 

risk management principles in coordinating the nation’s critical 

infrastructure protection efforts.10 This includes integrating relevant 

information, analysis, and vulnerability assessments to identify priorities 

for protective and support measures by the department, other federal 

agencies, state and local government agencies and authorities, the private 

sector, and other entities. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 and 

the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 further 

define and establish critical infrastructure protection responsibilities for 

DHS and those federal agencies given responsibility for particular industry 

sectors, such as transportation. In June 2006, DHS issued the NIPP, which 

named TSA as the primary federal agency responsible for coordinating 

critical infrastructure protection efforts within the transportation sector.11

In fulfilling its responsibilities under the NIPP, TSA must conduct and 

facilitate risk assessments in order to identify, prioritize, and coordinate 

the protection of critical transportation systems infrastructure, as well as 

develop risk based priorities for the transportation sector. 

To provide guidance to agency decision makers, we have created a risk 

management framework, which is intended to be a starting point for 

 9

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, The 9/11 Commission 

Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United 

States (Washington, D.C.: 2004). The 9/11 Commission was an independent, bipartisan 

commission created in late 2002, to prepare a complete account of the circumstances 

surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the 

immediate response to the attacks. The Commission was also mandated to provide 

recommendations designed to guard against future attacks. 

10In 2006, DHS reorganized their Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection 

division. The functions of the Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure 

Protection were moved to the Office of Intelligence Analysis and Office of Infrastructure

Protection. 

11HSPD-7 directed the DOT and DHS to collaborate on all matters relating to transportation

security and transportation infrastructure protection. In 2003, DHS designated TSA as the 

lead agency for addressing HSPD-7 as it relates to securing the nation’s transportation

sector. 

Page 10 GAO-07-442T 
applying risk based principles. Our risk management framework entails a 

continuous process of managing risk through a series of actions, including 

setting strategic goals and objectives, assessing risk, evaluating 

alternatives, selecting initiatives to undertake, and implementing and 

monitoring those initiatives. DHS’s NIPP describes a risk management 

process that closely mirrors our risk management framework. 

Setting strategic goals, objectives, and constraints is a key first step in 

applying risk management principles and helps to ensure that management 

decisions are focused on achieving a purpose. These decisions should take 

place in the context of an agency’s strategic plan that includes goals and 

objectives that are clear and concise. These goals and objectives should 

identify resource issues and external factors to achieving the goals. 

Further, the goals and objectives of an agency should link to a 

department’s overall strategic plan. The ability to achieve strategic goals 

depends, in part, on how well an agency manages risk. The agency’s 

strategic plan should address risk related issues that are central to the 

agency’s overall mission. 

Risk assessment, an important element of a risk based approach, helps

decision makers identify and evaluate potential risks so that 

countermeasures can be designed and implemented to prevent or mitigate 

the effects of the risks. Risk assessment is a qualitative and/or quantitative

determination of the likelihood of an adverse event occurring and the 

severity, or impact, of its consequences. Risk assessment in a homeland 

security application often involves assessing three key elements—threat, 

vulnerability, and criticality or consequence. A threat assessment identifies 

and evaluates potential threats on the basis of factors such as capabilities, 

intentions, and past activities. A vulnerability assessment identifies 

weaknesses that may be exploited by identified threats and suggests 

options to address those weaknesses. A criticality or consequence 

assessment evaluates and prioritizes assets and functions in terms of 

specific criteria, such as their importance to public safety and the 

economy, as a basis for identifying which structures or processes are 

relatively more important to protect from attack. Information from these 

three assessments contributes to an overall risk assessment that 

characterizes risks on a scale such as high, medium, or low and provides 

input for evaluating alternatives and management prioritization of security

initiatives. The risk assessment element in the overall risk management 

cycle may be the largest change from standard management steps and can

be important to informing the remaining steps of the cycle. 

Page 11 GAO-07-442T 
DHS has made progress in assessing the risks facing the U.S. passenger 

rail system, but has not completed a plan based on that risk assessment for 

securing the entire transportation sector and supporting plans for each 

mode of transportation, including passenger rail. The DHS OGT developed 

and implemented a risk assessment methodology to help passenger rail 

operators better respond to terrorist attacks and prioritize security 

measures. Passenger rail operators must have completed a risk 

assessment to be eligible for financial assistance through the fiscal year 

2007 OGT Transit Security Grant Program, which includes funding for 

passenger rail. To receive grant funding, rail operators are also required to

have a security and emergency preparedness plan that identifies how the 

operator intends to respond to security gaps identified by risk

assessments. As of February 2007, OGT had completed or planned to 

conduct risk assessments of most passenger rail operators. According to 

rail operators, OGT’s risk assessment process enabled them to prioritize 

investments based on risk and allowed them to target and allocate 

resources towards security measures that will have the greatest impact on 

reducing risk across their rail systems. 

DHS Has Taken Steps 

to Assess Risk to 

Passenger Rail 

Systems, but Has Not 

Completed a Strategy 

for Securing the 

Transportation Sector 

Further, we reported in September 2005 that TSA had not completed a 

comprehensive risk assessment of the entire passenger rail system. TSA 

had begun to assess risks to the passenger rail system, including 

completing an overall threat assessment for both mass transit and 

passenger and freight rail modes. TSA also conducted criticality 

assessments of nearly 700 passenger rail stations and had begun 

conducting assessments for other passenger rail assets such as bridges 

and tunnels. TSA reported that it planned to rely on asset criticality 

rankings to prioritize which assets it would focus on in conducting 

vulnerability assessments to determine which passenger rail assets are 

vulnerable to attack. For assets that are deemed to be less critical, TSA 

has developed a software tool that it has made available to passenger rail 

and other transportation operators for them to use on a voluntary basis to 

assess the vulnerability of their assets. We reported that, until all three 

assessments of passenger rail systems—threat, criticality, and

vulnerability—have been completed, and until TSA determined how to use 

the results of these assessments to analyze and characterize the level of 

risk (high, medium, or low), it will be difficult to prioritize passenger rail 

assets and guide investment decisions about protecting them. 

More recently, in January 2007, TSA reported taking additional actions to

assess the risks facing the U.S. passenger rail system. For example, TSA 

reported that its surface transportation security inspectors are working 

with rail transit agencies to update risk assessments that FTA and FRA 

Page 12 GAO-07-442T 
conducted after September 11, and is also conducting additional security 

assessments of rail transit agencies. TSA also expected that the 50 largest

rail transit agencies would complete security self assessments in early 

2007. According to TSA, the agency is using the results of these 

assessments to set priorities and identify baseline security standards for 

the passenger rail industry. For example, the agency recently reported that 

it has identified underground and underwater rail infrastructure and high

density passenger rail stations as the critical assets most at risk. According 

to TSA, the agency prioritized a list of the underwater rail tunnels deemed

to be at highest risk, and plans to conduct assessments of high-risk rail 

tunnels. 

We also reported in September 2005 that DHS was developing, but had not 

yet completed, a framework intended to help TSA, OGT, and other federal 

agencies work with their stakeholders to assess risk. This framework is 

intended to help the private sector and state and local governments 

develop a consistent approach to analyzing risk and vulnerability across 

infrastructure types and across entire economic sectors, develop 

consistent terminology, and foster consistent results. The framework is 

also intended to enable a federal-level assessment of risk in general, and

comparisons among risks, for purposes of resource allocation and 

response planning. DHS reported that this framework will provide 

overarching guidance to sector-specific agencies on how various risk 

assessment methodologies may be used to analyze, normalize, and 

prioritize risk within and among sectors. We plan to assess DHS and DOT’s 

progress in enhancing their risk assessment efforts during our follow-on 

review of passenger rail security. 

Finalizing a methodology for assessing risk to passenger rail and other 

transportation modes and conducting risk assessments to determine the 

areas of greatest need are key steps required in developing a strategy for 

securing the overall transportation sector and each mode of transportation 

individually. However, TSA has not completed the required TSSP and 

supporting plans for securing each mode of transportation. According to 

TSA, the TSSP and supporting modal plans are in draft, but must be 

reviewed by DHS and the White House Homeland Security Council before 

they can be finalized. Until TSA issues the TSSP and modal plans, the 

agency lacks a clear strategy with goals and objectives for securing the 

overall transportation sector, including passenger rail. 

Page 13 GAO-07-442T 
In addition to ongoing initiatives to enhance passenger rail security 

conducted by the FTA and FRA before and after September 11, 2001, TSA

issued security directives to passenger rail operators after the March 2004 

terrorist attacks on the rail system in Madrid. However, federal and rail 

industry stakeholders have questioned the extent that these directives 

were based on industry best practices and expressed confusion about how 

TSA would monitor compliance with the directives. Since the completion 

of our work on passenger rail security, TSA has reported taking additional 

actions to strengthen the security of the passenger rail system. For 

example, TSA tested rail security technologies, developed training tools 

for rail workers, and issued a proposed rule in December 2006 regarding 

passenger and freight rail security, among other efforts. TSA has also 

taken steps to better coordinate with DOT regarding rail security roles and

responsibilities and has worked to develop more effective partnerships 

with industry stakeholders. The memorandum of understanding between 

DHS and DOT was updated to include specific agreements between TSA 

and FTA in September 2005 and between TSA and FRA in September 2006 

to delineate security-related roles and responsibilities, among other things, 

for passenger rail and mass transit. In addition, TSA established an Office 

of Transportation Sector Network Management and offices for each mode

of transportation to develop security policies and partnerships with 

industry stakeholders, including passenger rail and other surface modes.

Federal Agencies 

Have Taken Actions 

to Enhance Passenger 

Rail Security, Improve 

Federal Coordination, 

and Develop Industry 

Partnerships 

DOT Agencies Led Initial 

Efforts to Enhance 

Passenger Rail Security 

Prior to the creation of TSA in November 2001, FTA and FRA, within DOT, 

were primarily responsible for the security of passenger rail systems. 

These agencies undertook a number of initiatives to enhance the security 

of passenger rail systems after the September 11th attacks that are still in 

place today. Specifically, FTA launched a transit security initiative in 2002

that included security readiness assessments, technical assistance, grants 

for emergency response drills, and training. FTA also instituted the Transit 

Watch campaign in 2003—a nationwide safety and security awareness 

program designed to encourage the participation of transit passengers and 

employees in maintaining a safe transit environment. The program 

provides information and instructions to transit passengers and employees 

so that they know what to do and whom to contact in the event of an 

emergency in a transit setting. FTA plans to continue this initiative, in

partnership with TSA and OGT, and offer additional security awareness 

materials that address unattended bags and emergency evacuation 

procedures for transit agencies. In addition, in November 2003, FTA issued 

its Top 20 Security Program Action Items for Transit Agencies, which 

recommended measures for passenger rail operators to include into their

security programs to improve both security and emergency preparedness. 

Page 14 GAO-07-442T 
FTA has also used research and development funds to develop guidance 

for security design strategies to reduce the vulnerability of transit systems 

to acts of terrorism. Further, in November 2004, FTA provided rail 

operators with security considerations for transportation infrastructure. 

This guidance provides recommendations intended to help operators deter 

and minimize attacks against their facilities, riders, and employees by 

incorporating security features into the design of rail infrastructure. 

FRA has also taken a number of actions to enhance passenger rail security 

since September 11, 2001. For example, it has assisted commuter railroads 

in developing security plans, reviewed Amtrak’s security plans, and helped

fund FTA security readiness assessments for commuter railroads. In the 

wake of the Madrid terrorist bombings in March 2004, nearly 200 FRA 

inspectors, in cooperation with TSA, conducted inspections of each of the 

18 commuter railroads and Amtrak to determine what additional security 

measures had been put into place to prevent a similar occurrence in the 

United States. FRA also conducted research and development projects 

related to passenger rail security. These projects included rail

infrastructure security and trespasser monitoring systems and passenger 

screening and manifest projects, including explosives detection. Although 

FTA and FRA now play a supporting role in transportation security 

matters since the creation of TSA, they remain important partners in the 

federal government’s efforts to strengthen rail security, given their role in

funding and regulating the safety of passenger rail systems. Moreover, as 

TSA moves ahead with its passenger rail security initiatives, FTA and FRA 

are continuing their passenger rail security efforts. 

TSA Issued Rail Security 

Directives, but Faces 

Challenges Related to 

Compliance and 

Enforcement 

In May 2004, TSA issued security directives to the passenger rail industry 

to establish standard security measures for all passenger rail operators, 

including Amtrak.12 However, as we previously reported, it was unclear 

how TSA developed the requirements in the directives, how TSA planned 

to monitor and ensure compliance, how rail operators were to implement 

the measures, and which entities were responsible for their 

implementation. According to TSA, the directives were based upon FTA 

and American Public Transportation Association best practices for rail 

security. Specifically, TSA stated that it consulted a list of the top 20

actions FTA identified that rail operators can take to strengthen security. 

 12TSA issues security related regulations and directives pursuant to its 49 U.S.C. § 114(1)

rulemaking authority. 

Page 15 GAO-07-442T 
While some of the directives’ requirements correlate to information 

contained in the FTA guidance, the source for many of the requirements is 

unclear. Amtrak and FRA officials also raised concerns about some of the 

directives. For example, FRA officials stated that current FRA safety 

regulations requiring engineer compartment doors be kept unlocked to 

facilitate emergency escapes13 conflicts with the TSA security directive 

requirement that doors equipped with locking mechanisms be kept locked. 

Other passenger rail operators we spoke with during our review stated 

that TSA did not adequately consult with the rail industry prior to 

developing and issuing these directives. In January 2007, TSA stated that it 

recognizes the need to closely partner with the passenger rail industry to 

develop security standards and directives. 

As we reported in September 2005, rail operators are required to allow 

TSA and DHS to perform inspections, evaluations, or tests based on 

execution of the directives at any time or location. However, we reported 

that some passenger rail operators have expressed confusion and concern 

about the role of TSA’s inspectors and the potential that TSA inspections 

could be duplicative of other federal and state rail inspections, such as 

FRA inspections. Since we issued our report, TSA officials reported that 

the agency has hired 100 surface transportation inspectors, whose stated 

mission is to, among other duties, monitor and enforce compliance with 

TSA’s rail security directives. Further, in September 2006, FRA’s and TSA’s 

roles and responsibilities for compliance inspections were outlined in an 

annex to the existing memorandum of understanding between DHS and 

DOT. The annex provides that when an FRA inspector observes a security

issue during an inspection, this information will be provided to TSA. 

Similarly, if a TSA inspector observes a safety issue, this information will 

be provided to FRA. According to TSA, since the initial deployment of 

surface inspectors, these inspectors have developed relationships with 

security officials in passenger rail and transit systems, coordinated access

to operations centers, participated in emergency exercises, and provided 

assistance in enhancing security. We will continue to assess TSA’s efforts 

to enforce compliance with rail security requirements, such as those 

included in the December 2006 proposed rule on rail security, during our 

follow-on review of passenger rail security that has been requested by 

your Committee Chairman. 

 13See 49 C.F.R. § 238.235. 

Page 16 GAO-07-442T 
In January 2007, TSA identified additional actions they had taken to 

strengthen passenger rail security. We have not verified or evaluated these 

actions. These actions include: 

National explosive canine detection teams: Since late 2005, TSA 

reported that it has trained and deployed 53 canine teams to 13 mass 

transit systems to help detect explosives in the passenger rail system and 

serve as a deterrent to potential terrorists. 

TSA Has Reported Taking 

Additional Actions to 

Strengthen Passenger Rail 

Security, Improve 

Coordination with DOT, 

and Develop Industry 

Partnerships 

Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response Teams: This program is 

intended to provide teams of law enforcement, canines, and inspection 

personnel to mass transit and passenger rail systems to deter and detect 

potential terrorist actions. Since the program’s inception in December 

2005, TSA reported conducting more than 25 exercises at mass transit and 

passenger rail systems throughout the nation. 

Mass Transit and Passenger Rail Security Information Sharing 

Network: According to TSA, the agency initiated this program in August 

2005 to develop information sharing and dissemination processes 

regarding passenger rail and mass transit security across the federal 

government, state and local governments, and rail operators. 

National Transit Resource Center: TSA officials stated that they are 

working with FTA and DHS OGT to develop this center, which will provide 

transit agencies nationwide with pertinent information related to transit 

security, including recent suspicious activities, promising security 

practices, new security technologies, and other information. 

National Security Awareness Training Program for Railroad 

Employees: TSA officials stated that the agency has contracted to 

develop and distribute computer based training for passenger rail, rail 

transit, and freight rail employees. The training will include information on 

identifying security threats, observing and reporting suspicious activities 

and objects, mitigating security incidents, and other related information. 

According to TSA, the training will be distributed to all passenger and 

freight rail systems. 

Transit Terrorist Tool and Tactics: This training course is funded 

through the Transit Security Grant Program and teaches transit employees

how to prevent and respond to a chemical, biological, radiological, 

nuclear, or explosive attack. According to TSA, this course was offered for 

the first time during the fall of 2006. 

Page 17 GAO-07-442T 
National Tunnel Security Initiative: This DHS and DOT initiative aims 

to identify and assess risks to underwater tunnels, prioritize security 

funding to the most critical areas, and develop technologies to better 

secure underwater tunnels. According to TSA, this initiative has identified 

a list of 29 critical underwater rail transit tunnels. 

DHS and TSA have also sought to enhance passenger rail security by 

conducting research on technologies related to screening passengers and 

checked baggage in the passenger rail environment. For example, TSA 

conducted a Transit and Rail Inspection Pilot, a $1.5 million effort to test 

the feasibility of using existing and emerging technologies to screen 

passengers, carry-on items, checked baggage, cargo, and parcels for 

explosives. According to TSA, the agency completed this pilot in July 2004. 

TSA officials told us that based upon preliminary analyses, the screening

technologies and processes tested would be very difficult to implement on 

heavily used passenger rail systems because these systems carry high 

volumes of passengers and have multiple points of entry. However, TSA 

officials added that the screening processes used in the pilot may be useful 

on certain long-distance intercity train routes, which make fewer stops. 

Further, TSA officials stated that screening could be used either randomly 

or for all passengers during certain high-risk events or in areas where a 

particular terrorist threat is known to exist. For example, screening 

technology similar to that used in the pilot was used by TSA to screen 

certain passengers and belongings in Boston and New York rail stations 

during the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions. 

According to TSA, the agency is also researching and developing other 

passenger rail security technologies, including closed circuit television 

systems that can detect suspicious behavior, mobile passenger screening 

checkpoints to be used at rail stations, bomb resistant trash cans, and 

explosive detection equipment for use in the rail environment. Finally,

TSA recently reported that the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) 

Directorate conducted a rail security pilot, which tested the effectiveness 

of explosive detection technologies in partnership with the Port Authority 

of New York and New Jersey. 

In December 2006, TSA issued a proposed rule regarding passenger and

freight rail security requirements. TSA’s proposed rule would require that

passenger and freight rail operators, certain facilities that ship or receive

hazardous materials by rail, and rail transit systems take the following 

actions: 

Page 18 GAO-07-442T 
• Designate a rail security coordinator to be available to TSA on a 

24 hour, seven day a week basis to serve as the primary contact for the 

receipt of intelligence and other security related information. 

• Immediately report incidents, potential threats, and security concerns 

to TSA. 

• Allow TSA and DHS officials to enter and conduct inspections, test, 

and perform other duties within their rail systems. 

• Provide TSA, upon request, with the location and shipping information 

of rail cars that contain a specific category and quantity of hazardous 

materials within one hour of receiving the request from TSA. 

• Provide for a secure chain of custody and control of rail cars 

containing a specified quantity and type of hazardous material. 

The period for public comment on the proposed rule is scheduled to close 

in February 2007. TSA plans to review these comments and issue a final 

rule in the future. 

With multiple DHS and DOT stakeholders involved in securing the U.S. 

passenger rail system and inherent relationships between security and 

safety, the need to improve coordination between the two agencies has 

been a consistent theme in our prior work in this area. In response to a 

previous recommendation we made,14 DHS and DOT signed a 

memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop procedures by which 

the two departments could improve their cooperation and coordination for 

promoting the safe, secure, and efficient movement of people and goods 

throughout the transportation system. The MOU defines broad areas of 

responsibility for each department. For example, it states that DHS, in 

consultation with DOT and affected stakeholders, will identify, prioritize, 

and coordinate the protection of critical infrastructure. The MOU between 

DHS and DOT represents an overall framework for cooperation that is to 

be supplemented by additional signed agreements, or annexes, between 

the departments. These annexes are to delineate the specific security 

related roles, responsibilities, resources, and commitments for mass 

transit, rail, research and development, and other matters. TSA signed 

annexes to the MOU with FRA in September 2006 and FTA in September 

2005 describing the roles and responsibilities of each agency regarding 

passenger rail security. These annexes also describe how TSA and these 

DOT agencies will coordinate security related efforts, avoid duplicating 

 14Transportation Security: Federal Action Needed to Help Address Security Challenges,

GAO-03-843 (Washington, D.C.: June 2003).

Page 19 GAO-07-442T 
efforts, and improve coordination and communication with industry 

stakeholders. 

In addition to the federal government, public and private rail operators 

share responsibility for securing passenger rail systems. As such, the need 

for TSA and other federal agencies to develop partnerships and coordinate

their efforts with these operators is critical. To better coordinate and 

develop partnerships with industry stakeholders, TSA has established an 

Office of Transportation Sector Network Management (TSNM), which 

includes offices for each mode of transportation, such as mass transit 

(includes passenger rail), highways, including commercial vehicles, and 

pipelines. According to TSA, the TSNM Mass Transit Division coordinates 

federal security activities in the mass transit and passenger rail modes and 

works to develop partnerships with passenger rail operators, federal 

agencies, and industry associations. TSA also reports that it is working 

with industry partners to develop baseline security standards for 

passenger rail and other surface modes. We will continue to assess TSA’s 

efforts in strengthening federal and private sector partnerships during our 

follow-on work on passenger rail security. 

U.S. passenger rail operators have taken numerous actions to secure their

rail systems since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United

States, and the March 11, 2004, attacks in Madrid. These actions included 

both improvements to system operations and capital enhancements to a 

system’s facilities, such as tracks, buildings, and train cars. All of the U.S. 

passenger rail operators we contacted have implemented some types of 

security measures—such as increased numbers and visibility of security 

personnel and customer awareness programs—that were generally 

consistent with those we observed in select countries in Europe and Asia. 

We also identified three rail security practices—covert testing, random 

screening of passengers and their baggage, and centralized research and 

testing—utilized by foreign operators or their governments that were not 

utilized, at the time of our review, by domestic rail operators or the U.S. 

government.

U.S. and Foreign Rail 

Operators Have Taken 

Similar Actions to 

Secure Rail Systems, 

and Opportunities for 

Additional Domestic 

Security Actions May 

Exist 

U.S. and Foreign Rail 

Operators Employ Similar 

Security Practices

Both U.S. and foreign passenger rail operators we contacted have 

implemented similar improvements to enhance the security of their 

systems. A summary of these efforts follows. 

Customer awareness: Customer awareness programs we observed used

signage and announcements to encourage riders to alert train staff if they 

Page 20 GAO-07-442T 
observed suspicious packages, persons, or behavior. Of the 32 domestic 

rail operators we interviewed, 30 had implemented a customer awareness 

program or made enhancements to an existing program. Foreign rail 

operators we visited also attempted to enhance customer awareness. For 

example, 11 of the 13 operators we interviewed had implemented a 

customer awareness program. 

Increased number and visibility of security personnel: Of the 32 U.S. 

rail operators we interviewed, 23 had increased the number of security 

personnel they utilized since September 11th, to provide security 

throughout their system or had taken steps to increase the visibility of 

their security personnel. Several U.S. and foreign rail operators we spoke 

with had instituted policies such as requiring their security staff, in 

brightly colored vests, to patrol trains or stations more frequently, so they 

were more visible to customers and potential terrorists or criminals. 

Operators believed that these policies made it easier for customers to 

contact security personnel in the event of an emergency, or if they spotted

a suspicious item or person. At foreign sites we visited, 10 of the 

13 operators had increased the number of their security officers 

throughout their systems in recent years because of the perceived increase 

in risk of a terrorist attack. 

Increased use of canine teams: Of the 32 U.S. passenger rail operators 

we contacted, 21 were using canines to patrol their facilities or trains. 

Often, these units are used to detect the presence of explosives, and may 

be called in when a suspicious package is detected. In foreign countries 

we visited, passenger rail operators’ use of canines varied. In some Asian 

countries, canines were not culturally accepted by the public and thus 

were not used for rail security purposes. As in the United States, and in 

contrast to Asia, most European passenger rail operators used canines for 

explosive detection or as deterrents. 

Employee training: All of the domestic and foreign rail operators we 

interviewed had provided some type of security training to their staff, 

either through in-house personnel or an external provider. In many cases, 

this training consisted of ways to identify suspicious items and persons 

and how to respond to events once they occur. For example, the London 

Underground and the British Transport Police developed the “HOT” 

method for its employees to use to identify suspicious items in the rail 

system. In the HOT method, employees are trained to look for packages or

items that are Hidden, Obviously suspicious, and not Typical of the 

environment. 

Page 21 GAO-07-442T 
Passenger and baggage screening practices: Some domestic and 

foreign rail operators have trained employees to recognize suspicious 

behavior as a means of screening passengers. Eight U.S. passenger rail 

operators we contacted were utilizing some form of behavioral screening. 

Abroad, we found that 4 of 13 operators we interviewed had implemented 

forms of behavioral screening. All of the domestic and foreign rail 

operators we contacted have ruled out an airport-style screening system 

for daily use in heavy traffic, where each passenger and the passenger’s 

baggage are screened by a magnetometer or X-ray machine, based on cost, 

staffing, and customer convenience factors, among other reasons. 

Upgrading technology: Many rail operators we interviewed had 

embarked on programs designed to upgrade their existing security 

technology. For example, we found that 29 of the 32 U.S. operators had 

implemented a form of closed circuit television (CCTV) to monitor their 

stations, yards, or trains. While these cameras cannot be monitored closely 

at all times, because of the large number of staff that would be required, 

many rail operators felt that the cameras acted as a deterrent, assisted 

security personnel in determining how to respond to incidents that had 

already occurred, and could be monitored if an operator had received 

information that an incident may occur at a certain time or place in their 

system. Abroad, all 13 of the foreign rail operators we visited had CCTV 

systems in place. In addition, 18 of the 32 U.S. rail operators we 

interviewed had installed new emergency phones or enhanced the 

visibility of the intercom systems they already had. As in the United States, 

a few foreign operators had implemented chemical or biological detection 

devices at these rail stations, but their use was not widespread. Two of the 

13 foreign operators we interviewed had implemented these sensors, and 

both were doing so on an experimental basis. In addition, police officers 

from the British Transport Police—responsible for policing the rail system 

in the United Kingdom—were equipped with pagers to detect chemical, 

biological, or radiological elements in the air, allowing them to respond 

quickly in case of a terrorist attack using one of these methods. 

Access control: Tightening access control procedures at key facilities or 

rights-of-way is another way many rail operators have attempted to 

enhance security. A majority of domestic and selected foreign passenger 

rail operators had invested in enhanced systems to control unauthorized 

access at employee facilities and stations. Specifically, 23 of the 32 U.S.

operators had installed a form of access control at key facilities and 

stations. All 13 foreign operators had implemented some form of access 

control to their critical facilities or rights-of-way. 

Page 22 GAO-07-442T 
Rail system design and configuration: In an effort to reduce 

vulnerabilities to terrorist attack and increase security, passenger rail 

operators in the United States and abroad have been, or are now beginning

to, incorporate security features into the design of new and existing rail 

infrastructure, primarily rail stations. For example, of the 32 domestic rail 

operators we contacted, 22 of them had removed their conventional trash 

bins entirely, or replaced them with transparent or bomb-resistant trash 

bins, as TSA instructed in its May 2004 security directives. Foreign rail 

operators had also taken steps to remove traditional trash bins from their 

systems. Of the 13 operators we visited, 8 had either removed their trash 

bins entirely or replaced them with blast-resistant cans or transparent 

receptacles.

Many foreign rail operators are also incorporating aspects of security into

the design of their rail infrastructure. Of the 13 operators we visited, 

11 had attempted to design new facilities with security in mind and had 

retrofitted older facilities to incorporate security-related modifications. 

For example, one foreign operator we visited was retrofitting its train cars 

with windows that passengers could open in the event of a chemical 

attack. In addition, the London Underground incorporates security into the 

design of all its new stations as well as when existing stations are 

modified. We observed several security features in the design of 

Underground stations, such as using vending machines that have no holes 

that someone could use to hide a bomb, and sloped tops to reduce the 

likelihood that a bomb can be placed on top of the machine. In addition, 

stations are designed to provide staff with clear lines of sight to all areas of 

the station, such as underneath benches or ticket machines, and station 

designers try to eliminate or restrict access to any recessed areas where a 

bomb could be hidden. 

Figure 1 shows a diagram of several security measures that we observed in

passenger rail stations both in the United States and abroad.

Page 23 GAO-07-442T 
Figure 1: Composite of Selected Security Practices in the Passenger Rail Environment 

TICKETS

FARECARDS

K-9 patrol unit(s)

Station entrance

Enter

Exit

Enter

Exit

Tracks

Elevators

Bench Bench

Law enforcement

Station official(s)

Chemical/bio sensors

Alert signs

CCTV(s): Pantilt zoom,

digital, and monitored

Security resources currently used

Proposed security resources

Source: GAO and NOVA Development Corporation.

Operator

Report unattended 

items or suspicious 

activities immediately!

Public awareness

 announcements 

Track monitoring

Station design: ticket

machines, benches, etc.

designed to prevent

items being hidden

Sloped top Sloped top

Camera

Bomb-resistant

trash cans

Subway train

Page 24 GAO-07-442T 
In our past work, we found that Amtrak faces security challenges unique 

to intercity passenger rail systems. First, Amtrak operates over thousands 

of miles, often far from large population centers. This makes its route 

system more difficult to patrol and monitor than one contained in a 

particular metropolitan region, and it causes delays in responding to 

incidents when they occur in remote areas. Also, outside the Northeast 

Corridor, Amtrak operates almost exclusively on tracks and in stations 

owned by freight rail companies. This means that Amtrak often cannot

make security improvements to others’ rights-of-way or station facilities 

and that it is reliant on the staff of other organizations to patrol their 

facilities and respond to incidents that may occur. Furthermore, with over 

500 stations, only half of which are staffed, screening even a small portion 

of the passengers and baggage boarding Amtrak trains is difficult. Finally,

Amtrak’s financial condition has never been strong—Amtrak has been on

the edge of bankruptcy several times. 

We reported in September 2005 that Amtrak had taken some actions to 

enhance security throughout its intercity passenger rail system. For 

example, Amtrak initiated a passenger awareness campaign, began 

enforcing restrictions on carry-on luggage that limit passengers to two 

carry-on bags, not exceeding 50 pounds; began requiring passengers to 

show identification after boarding trains; increased the number of canine 

units patrolling its system looking for explosives or narcotics; and 

assigned some of its police to ride trains in the Northeast Corridor. Also, 

Amtrak instituted a policy of randomly inspecting checked baggage on its 

trains. Amtrak was also making improvements to the emergency exits in 

certain tunnels to make evacuating trains in the tunnels easier in the event 

of a crash or terrorist attack. More recently, in January 2007, FRA reported 

that a systematic review of Amtrak’s security policies and programs had 

been completed. According to FRA, the agency is currently working with 

Amtrak to implement the recommendations of this review. 

Amtrak Faces Challenges 

Specific to Intercity 

Passenger Rail in Securing 

Its System 

Three Foreign Rail 

Security Practices Were 

Not Used in the United 

States 

While many of the security practices we observed in foreign rail systems 

are similar to those U.S. passenger rail operators are implementing, we 

identified three foreign practices that were not currently in use among the

U.S. passenger rail operators we contacted as of September 2005, nor were

they performed by the U.S. government. These practices are as follows. 

Covert testing: Two of the 13 foreign rail systems we visited utilized 

covert testing to keep employees alert about their security responsibilities. 

Covert testing involves security staff staging unannounced events to test 

the response of railroad staff to incidents such as suspicious packages or 

Page 25 GAO-07-442T 
setting off alarms. In one European system, this covert testing involves 

security staff placing suspicious items throughout their system to see how 

long it takes operating staff to respond to the item. Similarly, one Asian 

rail operator’s security staff will break security seals on fire extinguishers 

and open alarmed emergency doors randomly to see how long it takes 

staff to respond. TSA conducts covert testing of passenger and baggage 

screening in aviation, but has not conducted such testing in the rail 

environment. 

Random screening: Of the 13 foreign operators we interviewed, 2 have 

some form of random screening of passengers and their baggage in place.

Prior to the July 2005 London bombings, no passenger rail operators in the 

United States were practicing random passengers or baggage screening. 

However, during the Democratic National Convention in 2004, the 

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority instituted a system of 

random screening of passengers. 

National government clearinghouse on technologies and best 

practices: According to passenger rail operators in five countries we 

visited, their national governments had centralized the process for 

performing research and development of passenger rail security 

technologies and maintained a clearinghouse of technologies and security 

best practices for passenger rail operators. We reported in September 2005 

that no U.S. federal agency had compiled or disseminated information on 

research and development and other best practices for U.S. rail operators. 

Implementing covert testing, random screening, or a governmentsponsored clearinghouse for technologies and best practices in the U.S. 

could pose political, legal, fiscal, and cultural challenges because of the 

differences between the U.S. and these foreign nations. Many foreign 

nations have dealt with terrorist attacks on their public transportation 

systems for decades, compared with the United States, where rail has not 

been specifically targeted by terrorists. According to foreign rail operators, 

these experiences have resulted in greater acceptance of certain security 

practices, such as random searches, which the U.S. public may view as a 

violation of their civil liberties or which may discourage them from using 

public transportation. The impact of security measures on passengers is an 

important consideration for domestic rail operators, since most 

passengers could choose another means of transportation, such as a 

personal automobile. As such, security measures that limit accessibility, 

cause delays, increase fares, or otherwise cause inconvenience could push

people away from rail and into their cars. In contrast, the citizens of the 

European and Asian countries we visited are more dependent on public 

Page 26 GAO-07-442T 
transportation than most U.S. residents and therefore may be more willing 

to accept intrusive security measures. Nevertheless, in order to identify 

innovative security measures that could help further mitigate terrorismrisks to rail assets—especially as part of a broader risk management 

approach discussed earlier—it is important to consider the feasibility and 

costs and benefits of implementing the three rail security practices we 

identified in foreign countries. Officials from DHS, DOT, passenger rail 

industry associations, and rail systems we interviewed told us that 

operators would benefit from such an evaluation. Since our report on 

passenger rail security was issued, TSA has reported taking steps to 

coordinate with foreign passenger rail operators and governments to 

identify security best practices. For example, TSA reported working with 

British rail security officials to identify best practices for detecting and

handling suspicious packages in rail systems. In addition, in January 2007,

a TSA official stated that the agency was developing a clearinghouse of 

transportation security technologies, but a completion date for this effort 

was not currently available. 

In conclusion, Madam Chairwoman, the 2005 London rail bombings and 

the 2006 rail attacks in Mumbai, India highlight the inherent vulnerability 

of passenger rail and other surface transportation systems to terrorist 

attack. Moreover, securing rail and other surface transportation systems is 

a daunting task, requiring that the federal government develop clear 

strategies that are based on an assessment of the risks to the security of 

the systems, including goals and objectives, for strengthening the security

of these systems. Since our September 2005 report, DHS components have 

taken steps to assess the risks to the passenger rail system, such as 

working with rail operators to update prior risk assessments and 

facilitating rail operator security self assessments. According to TSA, the 

agency plans to use these assessment results to set priorities for securing 

rail assets deemed most at risk, such as underground and underwater rail 

infrastructure and high density passenger rail stations. A comprehensive 

assessment of the risks facing the transportation sector and each mode, 

including passenger rail, will be a key component of the TSSP and 

supporting plans for each mode of transportation. Until TSA completes 

these plans, however, the agency lacks a strategy with goals and objectives

for securing the overall transportation sector and each mode of 

transportation, including passenger rail. TSA has also taken steps improve 

coordination with federal, state, and local governments, and has reported 

taking steps to strengthen partnerships with passenger rail industry 

stakeholders to enhance the security of the passenger rail system. As TSA 

moves forward to complete the TSSP and supporting plans for each mode 

Conclusions 

Page 27 GAO-07-442T 
of transportation, it will be important that the agency articulate its strategy 

for securing rail and other modes to those government agencies and 

industry stakeholders that share the responsibility for securing these 

systems. We will continue to assess DHS and DOT’s efforts to secure the 

U.S. passenger rail system during follow-on work to be initiated later this 

year. 

Madam Chairwoman, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to 

answer any questions that you or other members of the Committee may 

have at this time. 

For further information on this testimony, please contact Cathleen A. 

Berrick at (202) 512- 3404. Individuals making key contributions to this 

testimony include John Hansen, Assistant Director, Chris Currie, and 

Tom Lombardi. 

Contact Information 

Page 28 GAO-07-442T 
Page 29 GAO-07-442T 

Related GAO Products Released Since 

September 11, 2001 

Passenger Rail Security: Enhanced Federal Leadership Needed to 

Prioritize and Guide Security Efforts. GAO-07-225T. Washington, D.C.: 

January 18, 2007.

Passenger Rail Security: Evaluating Foreign Security Practices and 

Risk Can Help Guide Security Efforts. GAO-06-557T. Washington, D.C.: 

March 29, 2006. 

Passenger Rail Security: Enhanced Federal Leadership Needed to 

Prioritize and Guide Security Efforts. GAO-06-181T. Washington, D.C.: 

October 20, 2005. 

Passenger Rail Security: Enhanced Federal Leadership Needed to 

Prioritize and Guide Security Efforts. GAO-05-851. Washington, D.C.: 

September 9 2005. 

Transportation Security: Systematic Planning Needed to Optimize 

Resources. GAO-05-357T. Washington, D.C.: February 15, 2005. 

Rail Security: Some Actions Taken to Enhance Passenger and Freight 

Rail Security, but Significant Challenges Remain. GAO-04-598T. 

Washington, D.C.: March 23, 2004. 

Transportation Security: Federal Action Needed to Enhance Security 

Efforts. GAO-03-1154T. Washington, D.C.: September 9, 2003. 

Transportation Security: Federal Action Needed to Help Address 

Security Challenges. GAO-03-843. Washington, D.C.: June 30, 2003. 

Rail Safety and Security: Some Actions Already Taken to Enhance Rail 

Security, but Risk-based Plan Needed. GAO-03-435. Washington, D.C.: 

April 30, 2003. 

Transportation Security: Post-September 11th Initiatives and Long-term 

Challenges. GAO-03-616T. Washington, D.C.: April 1, 2003. 

Mass Transit: Federal Action Could Help Transit Agencies Address 

Security Challenges. GAO-03-263. Washington, D.C.: December 13, 2002. 

Mass Transit: Challenges in Securing Transit Systems. GAO-02-1075T. 

Washington, D.C.: September 18, 2002. 

(440583) 
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