Project “Insecurity and Feeling of Insecurity in Rail Passenger Transport"

The project is organised as part of the EU Social Dialogue for the Rail Sector. The Social Dialogues give the social partners of the different sectors the opportunity to contribute to EU legislative procedures (directives and regulations).

The above project investigates what steps can be taken at different levels to improve the objective und subjective security of employees and passengers in rail transport.

A workshop held in Berlin on 22. and 23.05.2012 focused on the scope for technical improvements. An analysis of the renovation of Gare du Lyon railway station in Paris revealed that security can be improved by structural measures such as better station lighting to eliminate “dark corners”. Different litter bins were also installed at the new Gare du Lyon, as the former version could have been used as a potential hiding place for explosives. In the Netherlands, station platforms are accessed through automatic systems which also check the tickets. This virtually eliminates the need for subsequent fare collection, which is a constant source of attacks.

The workshop attendees visited the DB Security head office in Berlin. Jörg Behling of the Central Works Council of DB Security gave a presentation on the different kinds of support that could be provided for employees who were the victims of assault. Michael Bartl explained the new security organisation at Deutsche Bahn AG following the changeover to a private enterprise.

The project will continue with another workshop in Vienna in June, where the main topic will be the human resources measures that can be implemented to improve security. The objective of the project is to compile a collection of good practice examples. Status reports on the project will be given at the next meetings of the European Works Council.