Identification and Classification of Soft Targets in Railway Infrastructure

Abstract

The protection of soft targets has recently come to the interest of a range of experts, government organizations, and companies. This is happening in relation to current developments in the security situation. Ensuring the protection of soft targets is the primary interest of all the entities involved. For establishing effective protection, it is, however, necessary to correctly recognize which element could be attacked i.e. which can be identified as a soft target. The basis for identifying a soft target is its definition, which is however not precisely defined and is perceived differently by different experts. In view of this fact, there is no specific process for identifying soft targets in railway infrastructure. At the same time, it is visible from history that railway transport becomes a target for terrorist attacks. This article, therefore, focuses on the possibility of identifying soft targets in railway infrastructure. The first part gives some results of analysis of possible approaches and criteria for identifying soft goals, focusing on the area of railway infrastructure. On the basis of the results of the analysis, criteria are subsequently determined and a process for identification of soft targets in railway infrastructure is proposed. This method allows assessors to gain the list of railway stations, which are classified into two categories of soft targets.