LIGHT RAIL SECURITY
Light Rail Security
Light rail and other public transport systems play an important role in contributing to their communities’ mobility, urban life, regional economic vitality, and domestic international reputations. Governments around the world are increasingly investing in building and upgrading transport systems not only to meet public demand for mobility, but also to enhance commercial vitality, to achieve environmental goals of reducing carbon emissions, and to spur job growth through investment in infrastructure and construction. These goals are particularly well served through development of light rail systems, which have been a focus of investment in recent years.
Light rail systems face special safety and security challenges because their stations are particularly open and less controlled, their routes can mix with other traffic, and their infrastructure is easily accessible. In addition to terrorist attacks, light rail and other public transport systems face safety and security challenges including fire, collisions, derailments, other accidents, and crime.
Good Harbor works with transport planners, policy makers, operators, and regulators to develop effective safety, security, and emergency management solutions that balance the need to manage risk with the operational realities of public transport systems.
Good Harbor’s consultants are at work on the security and safety of transport systems around the world, including the largest simultaneous development of a multi-modal urban transport system: Abu Dhabi’s bus, water taxi, light rail, metro, and intercity rail system.
Services and Approach
Good Harbor develops safety, security, and emergency management solutions for light rail and other transport systems using an inclusive, risk-based approach that considers the overall sustainability of the transport enterprise, balancing safety and security requirements with operational realities to deliver effective solutions for that enable, rather than hinder, the mission of the transport system.
Good Harbor’s risk management approach facilitates the rapid, thorough assessment of a transport organization’s key issues, and our experience across several disciplines – including crisis management, emergency response, urban planning, counter-terrorism, and cyber security – add depth to our transport team and help deliver comprehensive solutions.
Good Harbor is vendor-neutral, so when we recommend solutions or technologies, our clients know they are getting an unbiased solution that will work best for their needs. We have chosen to remain a small, specialist consultancy to better dedicate ourselves to our clients and honor commitments in a timely and discreet manner. We provide resilient, cost-effective solutions for risk mitigation that are tailored to each client based on their specific threats, vulnerabilities, and needs.
Good Harbor’s approach emphasizes knowledge transfer. Throughout the project life cycle, our experts work alongside the client’s personnel to promote continuity and self-sustainability of robust security and safety practices. By working closely and collaboratively with our clients, we gain a better understanding of their operations, philosophies, and risk profiles. Our consultants transfer their expertise to help client organizations enhance their ability to operate their safety and security programs independently.
Strategic Consulting Services
The Good Harbor team provides the following strategic consulting services for all surface transport modes:
- Strategic planning for safety, security and emergency management
- All-hazards safety and security risk analyses and management
- Risk based mitigation and counter measures
- Design considerations for stations, vehicle stops, tunnels, elevated viaducts, terminals, depots and yards buses, waterborne vessels, and rail cars
- Transit policing requirements analysis and planning
- Governance and organizational design
- Business continuity and resiliency planning
Case Studies
Good Harbor has proven experience providing security consulting services to transport policy makers, regulators, planners, and operators of varying sizes and types – from light rail systems to major, urban multi-modal ones – and focuses its services to meet the needs of each individual client.
Hampton Roads Transit
Good Harbor was retained by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) in Norfolk, Virginia as a system safety and security advisor for the community’s new light rail system. To enhance the safety, security, and emergency management of HRT’s light rail system, Good Harbor is executing the following tasks:- Conduct a Threat and Vulnerability Assessment
- Develop and facilitate a series of tabletop and field exercises designed to evaluate and improve safety, security and emergency management protocols. These exercises are being conducted in full compliance with the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) prescribed by FEMA.
- Test HRT’s Standard Operating Procedures against international best practices
- Produce an After Action Report capturing key benefits from the exercise, including increased cooperation among stakeholders and recommendations to remedy procedural gaps.
London Light Rail System
Good Harbor was retained to reduce the threat, impact or risk from an act of terrorism or sabotage against a light rail system in London supporting the 2012 Olympics. Good Harbor is assessing risk and developing a security business case to pursue additional funding from Olympic agencies to implement strategies designed to reduce risks to the system. This aim is being achieved through the following key tasks:- Undertake a security risk assessment of the potential risks facing the light rail system arising from the London Olympics and Paralympics Games
- Develop a Network Security Risk Register
- Provide a prioritized set of Olympic specific risks with practical and achievable mitigation strategies
- Develop an Olympics Security Business Case to pursue additional funding for identified mitigation strategies
London Olympics 2012
Good Harbor staff provided their transport security expertise in support of the London 2012 Olympic Games, including managing strategic planning, organizational design, and stakeholder engagement with the aim of delivering safe and secure transport for the games. To achieve these objectives, Good Harbor staff contributed to the following services, as a result of which the Transport Security work is now seen as best practice in the Olympic Security Directorate:- Set the initial strategic Transport direction and developed the Transport Security Strategy and framework
- Designed and gained stakeholder agreement on the governance and organizational structure
- Produced security management delivery plan with stakeholder consultation (transport operators, Metropolitan Police, Home Office, British security services, and others)
- Provided comprehensive risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis for ministerial approval
Los Angeles Gold Line Eastside Extension
Good Harbor was retained by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to conduct a safety and security readiness assessment of the eastside Gold Line extension. The objective was to confirm that the project successfully addressed safety and security considerations in design and operations. To accomplish this objective, Good Harbor completed the following tasks:- Reviewed Tunnel Fire/Life Safety Systems and response protocols
- Conducted an evaluation of grade crossing protection of key intersections
- Evaluated the light rail operating environment characteristics, new stations, and operating procedures to determine the adequacy of the safety and security control measures
Abu Dhabi Department of Transport
Good Harbor is presently engaged with the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport to produce and help implement a Surface Transport Safety and Security Master Plan to ensure that the surface transport multi-modal network achieves the highest practicable level of safety and security for its passengers. The Plan addresses several modes, including high-speed rail, metro, light rail, bus, taxi, water transport, and Personal Rapid Transit, as well as critical transport infrastructure such as major bridges, tunnels, and intermodal connections. Good Harbor and the Department of Transport have completed the following key tasks:- Developed a Safety, Security, & Emergency Management Strategic Plan for the design and development of all surface transport modes
- Conducted an Operational Diagnostic Study to evaluate the current state of safety, security, and emergency planning and implementation for all transport modes
- Developed safety, security, and emergency management guiding principles for the protection of surface transport assets and resources
- Conducted all-hazards risk assessments for key transport stations under development
- Developed a Safety, Security, and Emergency Management governance and oversight structure for the Department of Transport
- Provided staffing requirements for a Department of Transport Safety, Security, and Emergency Management office
- Write legislation and regulation related to Surface Transport Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
- Provide transport policing guidelines, training requirements, staff qualifications, and competencies
The Good Harbor Team
Good Harbor's strength is the perspective and experience of its team: we are led by partners and principals who have managed some of the most pressing safety and security issues of the day, among them crisis response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Our team includes the following security professionals: security strategy and operations specialists; public transport safety and security managers, planners, regulators, and policy makers; emergency managers and National Incident Management System trained professionals; architects; and, certified Contracts Administrators, Contract Negotiation/Cost Price Analysts, Certified Protection Professionals (CPPs), Physical Security Professionals (PSPs), and degreed and board certified engineers. Our security professionals have demonstrated experience in the private sector and in local, state, and national government across a range of disciplines: transport operations, policy, regulation and standards development; crisis and emergency management; business continuity; urban planning; infrastructure protection; cyber security; commercial and corporate security risk management, loss prevention, and insurance; and engineering, including management of large-scale engineering service projects and security systems (e.g. access controls, perimeter intrusion detection systems, barriers/fencing, video surveillance and assessment, lighting upgrades, and communications and power systems).
As a measure of our success, we are frequently asked by our clients to implement the strategies that we have helped develop, resulting in our teams forming long-term partnerships with our clients as we build capacity for them, and with them.
