Assessing the Security of Our Critical Transportation Infrastructure

Securing the transportation system is critical to keeping Americans safe. Over the past year, we've seen an increasing threat of terrorism to vital surface transportation networks. On September 17, 2016, a bomb exploded in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood injuring 31 people. Two days later, police in Elizabeth, New Jersey, removed a backpack filled with pipe bombs from a public trash can. The devices were discovered near the town's train station. In Nice, France, a member of ISIL drove a commercial truck into a crowded promenade, killing 84 people. In March, 16 individuals were killed in a bomb blast at a metro station in Brussels, Belgium. These tragic events underscore a dangerous reality. Surface transportation, rail, ports, pipelines, and mass transit systems are at risk of attack.