IMProving Railway sEcurity through awareneSS and training
About
Aim of the project
IMPRESS aims at improving the protection of stations and trains by developing security training and awareness programmes for all stakeholders in rail stations and on trains.
The scope of the training includes security culture in general, with a wide range of significant threats for several European rail operators, and CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive) threats specifically, which represent a more challenging scenario.
The IMPRESS project will focus on the ‘immediate responders’ from the railway environment, or those who are most likely to be the first to prevent or react to a security incident when it occurs on railway premises. This target group of end-users includes rail staff at stations and onboard trains, security staff, staff from station shops, cleaning staff as well as other service providers.
Main objectives
Improving the protection of trains and stations against terrorist-related threats.
Enhancing public-private cooperation and good practices in trains and stations.
Raising security awareness of the stakeholders working in stations and trains.
Developing awareness and guidance materials for CBRNe threat.
Facts & Figures
Call ID and Topic: ISF-2022-TF1-AG-PROTECT
Grant Agreement No: 101100521
EU Contribution: € 952 546.63
Starting date: 1 June 2023
Duration: 24 months
Coordinator: UIC Security Division
IMPRESS projet – Flyer
oRGANISATION OF THE WORK
The core work will be divided in three work phases represented by three technical work packages.
First an assessment of training needs to ensure security in the rail environment will be performed through a review of past project results. We will also develop and implement a questionnaire to identify the relevant target groups and their specific training and security awareness needs. Through UIC and its partners with an international outreach, the project will collect the training needs in Europe and beyond.
Based on these specifications, different awareness and training modules will be designed.
Two workshops will be organised with the end-users to define and validate the design of these modules, which will then be developed by experts in both training and security.
Once produced, the modules will be tested and evaluated by the rail companies in the consortium. This will provide feedback from the end-users that will be taken into account to adapt and improve the training modules.
IMPRESS Project results will be disseminated through the UIC Rail Security Hub, an online platform where users will be able to easily retrieve information on security solutions, provide inputs and share comments and operational experiences.
IMPRESS project – Work packages organisation
Consortium
Coordinated by the UIC Security Division, the project will be implemented in partnership with the security services of several major European railway companies and one police university.
Advisory Board
An Advisory Board, composed of key stakeholders with relevant expertise and knowledge about the project topics and activities, supports the consortium throughout the project from a strategic point of view, providing inputs and feedback on project outcomes.
The current advisory board members are as follows:
Rail sector
- DB (Germany)
- EUSKOTREN (Spain)
- EVR – EESTI RAUDTEE (Estonia)
- INFRABEL (Belgium)
- Koleje Śląskie (Poland)
- RPF of Indian Railways (India)
- SNCF (France)
- Transport Canada (Canada)
- RSSB (UK)
- Wiener Linien (Austria)
News & Events
News
- UIC Security Platform holds its Steering Committee Meeting at UIC Headquarters and onlineon 4 July 2025 at 08:20
- UIC showcases project research results at the invitation of the European Commissionon 3 July 2025 at 08:51
- European IMPRESS project: Final conference held on 14 May in Parison 21 May 2025 at 13:56
- The EU IMPRESS Project holds its sixth Steering Committee Meetingon 7 May 2025 at 12:11
- Register now for the EU IMPRESS Project Final Conferenceon 16 April 2025 at 14:32
Past Events
The IMPRESS Final Conference
Thank you to everyone who participated in and contributed to IMPRESS Final Conference held at UIC in Paris on 14 May 2025.
We are pleased to share the following materials from the event:
- Event Summary:
- Read the article summarizing the conference in the latest UIC eNews edition
- Press release:
- Presentations:
- Available on the UIC extranet at Final Conference | UIC Extranet.
- If you are not yet registered, please create an account online via Create new account | UIC Extranet. Once you receive your login credentials, you can request access to the IMPRESS Advisory Board Group.
Deliverables & Publications
Deliverables
| WP or Deliverable Number | WP or Deliverable Name | Lead participant | Dissemination Level | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP1 | Project management and coordination | UIC | ||
| D1.1 | Quality assurance plan | UIC | SEN | July 2023 |
| D1.2 | Mid-term report progress | UIC | SEN | July 2024 |
| D1.3 | Output and results indicators | UIC | SEN | May 2025 |
| WP2 | Training needs assessment | UIC | ||
| D2.1 | Security training needs in rail environment | UIC | SEN | November 2023 |
| WP3 | Training programme / curriculum development | DHPOL | ||
| D3.1 | Report on the design of the global training programme/curriculum | DHPol | SEN | March 2024 |
| D3.2 | Training modules – First version | DHPol | SEN | September 2024 |
| D3.3 | Training modules – Revised version | DHPol | SEN | May 2025 |
| WP4 | WP4 Curriculum implementation, testing, validation | SNCB | ||
| D4.1 | Report on the training sessions | UIC | SEN | October 2024 |
| D4.2 | Report on the evaluation | DHPol | SEN | March 2025 |
| WP5 | Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation | UIC | ||
| D5.1 | IMPRESS public website with a restricted area | UIC | PU | July 2023 |
| D5.2 | Project brochure | UIC | PU | July 2023 |
| D5.3 | Dissemination and exploitation plan – First version | UIC | PU | November 2023 |
| D5.4 | Dissemination and exploitation plan – Final version | UIC | PU | May 2025 |
Scientific Publications
- Havârneanu GM, et al. (2024). Design of the IMPRESS training for railway staff and awareness
program for the general public. Médecine de Catastrophe – Urgences Collectives. DOI: 10.1016/j.
pxur.2024.07.003
(IM)PRESS Reviews
Based on Rail Security Media Monitorings carried out by the UIC Security Department:
Period: 1 March 2025 – 31 May 2025
Period: 1 December 2024 – 28 February 2025
Period: 1 September to 21 November 2024
Period: 1 June to 31 August 2024
Period: 1 March to 31 May 2024
Period: 1 December 2023 to 1 March 2024
Period: 1 June to 1 December 2023
Key PUBLIC Results
Awareness Video
The video focuses on detecting suspicious behaviours and how to act in case of an attack. View it below and on Youtube:
It is also available with subtitles in Français, Nederlands, Polski, Deutsch, and Italiana.
Digital Materials
Six total print/web campaigns were co-designed in IMPRESS, focusing on the topics:
- Suspicious behaviours
- Armed attacks
- Bomb threats
- Explosions
- Detecting CBRNe
- CBRNe attacks
The awaremess campaigns are intended for the general public and other 3rd party stakeholders (e.g., cleaners, retail staff in stations), but may also be relevant for rail staff.
Each campaign was translated into the six consortium languages and can be downloaded below:
Serious Game
The project also developed a serious game based on the popular “Where’s Waldo” book series, whereby the viewer looks for specific things in a busy image, in this case suspicious behaviours (both weak and hard signals). The gameboard also comes with a “solutions” image, however the game is meant to be a jumping off point for discussions and debates!
Download them below:
Game Board
Game Solution
