Friday 4 July 2025

UIC Security Platform holds its Steering Committee Meeting at UIC Headquarters and online

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The UIC Security Platform Steering Committee meeting was held on 3 July at UIC Headquarters and online to discuss the progress achieved on security-related activities. In his welcome address, Xavier Roche, Security Director SNCF (French Railways), Chair of the UIC Security Platform, highlighted that this meeting marks the mid-term of his mandate and appreciated the Working Groups achievements and the UIC’s ongoing security research projects.

Sarvapriya Mayank, General Director of the Railway Protection Force of Indian Railways, Vice Chair of the Security Platform, acknowledged the UIC Security Platform’s global impact, calling it “a beacon of global solidarity” providing added value via its working groups. He also emphasised the Steering Committee’s role in guiding the platform’s strategic direction with “precision and care” to enhance global railway security.

The recent activities of the Security Platform Working Groups were reported:

  • The New Technologies Working Group (chaired by Armand Raudin, SNCF), announced that the publication on AI will be issued this month and will highlight AI’s role in intrusion detection, rail infrastructure protection, unattended items identification and SNCF’s Olympic Games operational experience. The next meeting is scheduled for late September and the coming period will include topics such as vocal AI assistance for staff, hidden weapon detection, or the use and misuse of drones.
  • The Human Factors Working Group (chaired by Jean-Ernest Celestin, VIA Rail Canada) focuses on “Feeling of security” as its main 2025 topic. The group already identified key needs, gaps, and focus areas on the topic and it is currently running an online survey targeting railway stakeholders: survey link. The groups collaboration with UIC’s SMGG, UITP, EFUS and the ICPC ensures a multidisciplinary approach.
  • The Strategy, Procedures and Regulation Working Group (chaired by newly appointed Veerle Berx, SNCB), commenced its work on “Security Continuum”, addressing societal issues such as drug and alcohol use that can lead to violence, harassment, loitering, etc. in stations and on trains. The group will focus on identifying examples of local cooperation to address those, shared data collection and risk analysis, and development of joint action plans: defining roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder. Its first meeting on this topic followed the Steering Committee.
  • The Sabotage, Intrusion & Attacks Working Group (chaired by Benjamin Burghard, DB AG) discussed 2025 priorities and is currently conducting a survey on the 2024 global rail threat landscape. This will result in a comprehensive report to be discussed at the next group meeting in October 2025. The survey will also enable the choice of the next topics to be addressed in the group.
  • The Crisis Management Working Group (chaired by Ewa Wójcik, PKP S.A.) shared updates about the last April 2025 meeting on Business Continuity regulations. A survey was conducted and a publication on Business Continuity will follow. The next group meeting is foreseen for autumn.

Updates from the UIC Regions included the recent “Metal Theft” webinar for the Latin America Region and an upcoming webinar for the Asian Region on 23 July. Moreover, the 20th World Security Congress, will be co-organised with ONCF in Rabat, Morocco, in early December 2025.

On behalf of COLPOFER, UIC Special group, Maria Cristina Fiorentino (FS) heighted the excellent cooperation with the UIC Security Platform and the successful 79th Colpofer General Assembly in June in Pietrarsa, held jointly with the RAILPOL symposium. The next General Assembly is in November 2025. Further, Elisa Sidgwick (RAILPOL) underlined the joint UIC-RAILPOL workshop on Human Trafficking held in March 2025 and announced upcoming RAILEX and RAILINVEST exercises. In addition, Carmela Canonico (UITP) shared that the new UITP working programme was adopted with the newly appointed Chair and Vice Chair.

If you are interested in joining the Security Platform working groups, or would like further information, please contact us at security at uic.org

For further information, please contact us here: https://uic.org/about/contact

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