The SAFETY4RAILS (Data-based analysis for SAFETY and security projection FOR detection, prevention, mitigation and response in trans-modal metro and RAILway networkS) project kickoff meeting took place virtually on 5 November between all of the consortium partners, the Project Officer from the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency, representatives from the advisory boards foreseen for the project, as well as two envisaged end-user partners from Spain and Turkey.
The role of the UIC Security Division in the SAFETY4RAILS project is to coordinate the end users (railways and metros) throughout the project by considering their needs and ensuring that their requirements and specific characteristics are properly taken into account in the development of the solutions (S4RIS platform). UIC will also lead the planning, development and evaluation of simulation exercises in close collaboration with the end users.
Running for 24 months, the SAFETY4RAILS project aims to deliver methods and systems to increase the safety and recovery of track-based intercity railway and intracity metro transport. It addresses both cyber-only attacks (such as the impact from WannaCry infections), physical-only attacks (such as the Madrid commuter train bombing in 2014) and combined cyber-physical attacks, which are an important emerging scenario given increasing IoT infrastructure integration. SAFETY4RAILS concentrates on rush hour rail transport scenarios in which many passengers use the metro and railways to commute to work or attend mass events (e.g. large multivenue sporting events such as the Olympics). When an incident occurs during heavy usage, metro and railway operators must consider many different aspects to ensure passenger safety and security, e.g. carrying out threat analysis, maintaining situation awareness, establishing crisis communication and response, and must ensure that mitigating steps are taken and communicated to travellers and other users.
SAFETY4RAILS will improve the handling of such incidents through a holistic approach. It will analyse the cyber-physical resilience of metro and railway systems and will deliver mitigation strategies for an efficient response. In addition, in order to remain secure in light of ever-changing, novel emerging risks, it will facilitate continuous adaptation of the SAFETY4RAILS solution. Simulation exercises will be organised in various operational environments to test and assess the SAFETY4RAILS solutions (S4RIS platform) with the end users of the consortium, supported by the external advisory board.
SAFETY4RAILS will focus, in particular, on active involvement on the part of end users, railways and metro operators, from the beginning of the project when defining requirements and needs and designing and performing the scenarios and demonstrations, to the end of the project when evaluating the S4RIS software platform and in feedback loops to the developers.
The consortium
SAFETY4RAILS is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI. EMI is one of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s 74 institutes in Germany. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the leading organisation for applied research in Europe.
Additional project partners:
- Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC)
- Metro de Madrid S.A.
- Ankara Elektrik Havagazı ve Otobüs İşletme Müessesesi
- Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
- Leonardo – Società per Azioni
- Compagnie Européenne d’Intelligence Stratégique
- STAM SRL
- IC information company AG
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Spain SL
- The University of Reading
- ETRA Investigación Y Desarrollo S.A.
- RINA Consulting S.p.A.
- National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”
- Wings ICT Solutions Information & Communication Technologies IKE
- University of Newcastle upon Tyne
- European Organisation for Security
- Innova Integra Limited
- Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu Oy
- Cyber Services Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság
- ERGUNLER INSAAT PETROL URUNLERI OTOMOTIV TEKSTIL MADENCILIK SU URUNLER SANAYI VE TICARET LIMITED STI.
- MTRS3 Solutions and Services Ltd.
- INTRACOM S.A. TELECOM SOLUTIONS
- Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche
- Alpha-Cyber SRL
- Tree Technology S.A.
- ProRail BV
- Elbit Systems C4I and Cyber Ltd
- Comune di Milano
