Emergencies arising from terrorist threats highlight the need for transportation managers to minimize the vulnerability of people and assets through incident prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Managers are seeking to reduce the chances that transportation vehicles and facilities are targets or instruments of terrorist attacks and to be prepared to respond to and recover from such possibilities.

The wealth of new resources now available or under development through the cooperative research programs adds to the extensive information generated on these issues in recent years by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and The National Academies. The TRB Transportation System Security website (https://www.trb.org/Activities/Security/TransportationSecurity1.asp) brings together much of this information. Also included are links to other related websites that contain discussions of issues, actions which can be taken, guidance, and training opportunities. The TRB Transportation System Security website is sponsored by the TRB Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Protection (san-antonio.tamu.edu/trbabe40) and is updated regularly.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Executive Committee Security Affairs Steering Committee provide steering direction to the coordinated Cooperative Research Programs Security Research under NCHRP and TCRP, respectively. A technical panel that provides all-hazards, all modes oversight and project selection guidance through NCHRP Project Panel 20-59, Surface Transportation Security Research. See trb.org for more information on the Transportation Research Board of The National Academies.

The objective of this program is to provide flexible, ongoing, quick-response research on transportation issues related to emergency incident prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, paying particular attention to potential terrorist threats. Such research should be designed to develop improvements to analytical methods, decision support tools, procedures, and techniques employed by practitioners to support statewide, local, and metropolitan transportation organizations in planning, exercising, and evaluating their security programs. Among the specific subject areas under consideration for additional projects are the following:

1. Security Assessment
2. Infrastructure Hardening
3. Counter-Terrorism Tools for Transportation Incidents
4. Transit Security/Counter-Terrorism Practices
5. Emergency-Response Preparedness and Training
6. Information Technology Crisis Response Procedures
7. Evacuation Planning
8. Business Recovery

Status: Completed. Task order contractors were selected in December 2001 to perform research. Panel J-10A (prevention and mitigation) and Panel J-10B (preparedness and response) met in January 2002 to finalize research to be performed, and in March 2002 to select contractors to carry out specific projects. The J-10A and J-10B panels held a joint meeting in June 2003 to consider overall progress in the security research program area. The J-10, J-10A, and J-10B panels were disbanded in 2005, when transit experts were add to NCHRP Project Panel 20-59, Surface Transportation Security Research, to form an all modes, all hazards panel.

The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has budgeted $2.75 million for coordinated security-related research in FY 2002 through FY 2005 (see https://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1186). The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has budgeted $5.625 million in FY 2002 through FY 2006 for coordinated security-related research (see https://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=644). A consolidated list of these and other security-related projects is updated monthly and posted online (see https://gulliver.trb.org/publications/dva/CRP-SecurityResearch.pdf).

Publications developed under TCRP Project J-10 can be found in the TCRP Report 86 series at TRB.org/SecurityPubs

TCRP Project J-10 Steering Committee, Public Transportation Security Research
J-10(1) & J-10(1A) Transit Security Roundtables
Funds: $330,000 Completion Date: December 2002
Res. Agency: Booz | Allen | Hamilton
Objective: To hold counter-terrorism workshops where senior executives could share information, meet with Federal officials from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Railroad Administration, and other agencies, and learn about techniques and technologies used in other parts of the world to counteract and respond to terrorist incidents in our transit systems.
Status: Completed. Regional roundtables were held in New York City in January 2002, San Francisco in March 2002, Atlanta in April 2002, and Chicago in May 2002. The Contractor's Final Report was received and forwarded to the American Public Transportation Association in December 2002.

J-10(2) Transit Security White Papers
Funds: $20,000 Completion Date: August 2002
Res. Agency: Science Applications International Corporation
Objective: White papers on Decontamination Procedures and Technology Assessment were requested as input to the Steering Committee's recommendations for FY2003 research priorities.
Status: Completed. The J-10 Steering Committee discussed the implications of the white paper recommendations in September 2002.

J-10(3) A Guide to Public Transportation Security Resources
Funds: $5,000 Completion Date: April 2003
Res. Agency: McCormick, Taylor, & Associates, Inc.
Objective: To develop a brief guide to security research and training of interest to the public transportation industry.
Status: Completed. A revised final report was received in April 2003. It was published in May 2003 as TCRP Research Results Digest 59, "A Guide to Public Transportation Security Resources."

J-10(4) International Transportation Associations Transit Security Summit
Funds: $20,000 Completion Date: September 2002
Res. Agency: NA
Objective: To share security activity updates through international transportation associations. Security initiatives of major city transit agencies were also presented. Among other topics, discussions explored interest to collaborate on common industry security issues, projects, or tasks. The summit was opened by representatives of the American Public Transportation Association and the Federal Transit Administration.
Status: Completed. More than 60 participants joined the discussions. Five international associations participated.

Publications developed under TCRP Project J-10 can be found in the TCRP Report 86 series at TRB.org/SecurityPubs