TSA, Canada partner to protect passenger rail

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

TSA, Transport Canada teams visit railroad bridge over the Niagara River. (TSA photo)

When you hop on board a passenger train, you expect to get to your destination without a hitch, and nearly 100% of the time, that's the case.

However, bad actors are continuously probing, threatening and, in some cases, targeting transportation.

Enter TSA and Canadian partner, Transport Canada.

TSA teamed up with Transport Canada - Canada's federal government agency responsible for transportation - to conduct a critical training exercise with Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The exercise focused on potential physical and cyber security threats to Amtrak and VIA Rail's operations from Canada into the United States over the Niagara River and included participants from 15 different U.S. and Canadian agencies.

Participants worked through several scenarios including an attack to the passenger rail reservations systems, social media threats to passengers and operations, suspicious bags left at the Niagara Falls train station, and an active shooter at the station and onboard an international passenger train headed to the U.S.

"Surface transportation faces diverse physical threats due to the open nature of rail systems," said Transportation Security Administration Representative Danielle Turner, who is based in Canada. "With the growing prevalence of cyber threats, rail operators must also be prepared to address cyber risks that could jeopardize safety and security as well as hybrid attacks featuring both cyber and physical components."

Turner said exercises like this provide an opportunity for operators, law enforcement, federal agencies, and city, state and local governments to collaborate on possible responses to these scenarios and are crucial to transportation security.

TSA, Transport Canada teams on the Whirlpool Rapids Railroad bridge. (TSA photo)

"The United States shares numerous border crossings with Canada, facilitating the transport of people and critical goods that are vital to each country's economy and well-being," Turner noted. "Establishing clear points of contact and fostering cross-border collaboration can greatly enhance coordinated responses to threats while ensuring the continued flow of commerce."

TSA Surface Region 5 Regional Operations Director Michael Madrigal said the goals of the exercise were "to gather all of the security stakeholders that would be involved in responding to an attack, establish networks and communications, review security and emergency response plans, identify critical assets and practices to prevent significant security incidents, evaluate information dissemination strategies during heightened threats and examine policies and procedures."

James Duncan, TSA Region 5 Surface regional security director, was impressed with Amtrak and VIA Rail's commitment to enhance their security and create the necessary relationships to counter threats.

"The cornerstone of TSA's engagement strategy is to collaborate with state, federal, local and, in this case, international partners to bolster security preparedness and resilience," said Duncan. "A key takeaway from this exercise was the strengthened relationship between TSA and Transport Canada and a heightened recognition of the need to collaborate to protect our systems against a common threat."

TSA Surface Regions 1 and 5 worked together on the exercise, with TSA Headquarters Freight Rail Coordinator Rich Ehler a lead facilitator.

Exercise participants from TSA, Transport Canada, Amtrak and VIA Rail. (TSA photo)

"Given the interconnected nature of industries and commerce that support our shared supply chains, collaboration on our shared transportation links is essential to prevent disruptions that could impact our citizens and economies," added TSA Surface Region 5 Program Analyst Victoria Schwab. "This teamwork ensures clear communication, coordinated responses and swift recovery from disruptions."

Not only did this event highlight strong coordination and collaboration with external stakeholders, Schwab said it also spotlighted internal partnerships within TSA across multiple offices.

Stephen Larkin, Transport Canada's director of rail security, extended his gratitude to TSA for organizing such an outstanding exercise.

"The event was a tremendous success, offering participants valuable insights to strengthen our responses to real-world challenges," said Larkin. "By fostering strong cross-border partnerships with law enforcement and industry stakeholders, we have made strides in advancing our shared security goals."

VIA Rail's Corporate Security and Intelligence Director, Luciano Bentenuto, also valued the crucial training event and the collaboration with TSA and Transport Canada, noting that everyone plays a key role in public transportation security.

"Security within the realm of public transportation is everybody's business," Bentenuto emphasized. "The collaboration between TSA and Transport Canada is the cornerstone in ensuring that all travelers in North America travel within a safe and secure environment. The security exercise in Niagara Falls, Canada, demonstrated how well our respective organizations are prepared to better serve all train passengers in North America."

By Don Wagner, TSA Strategic Communications & Public Affairs