Startrans (eng)

startrans-300x81The STAR-TRANS project – ‘Strategic Risk Assessment and Contingency Planning in Interconnected Transportation Networks” – aims to assess risks affecting European interconnected transportation networks. It analyses how one incident localised in one single transportation system may affect the whole transportation network: the network of transportation networks. The project starts in November 2009 and has a duration of 30 months. It has a total budget of EUR 3,3 Milion funded by the European Union’ Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) – Information and Communication Technologies.

STAR TRANS aims to develop a holistic risk assessment methodology for Critical Infrastructure and apply it to a wide panel of international transportation infrastructures. The purpose is the analyses of common issues concerning risks, threats and vulnerabilities, identifying possible interdependencies and assessing the impact of failures on interconnected transportation infrastructures.

Successful project outcomes may offer important aids for decision-makers in order to determine priorities among multiple contingency alternatives by evaluating the consequences (cost, timing, resources, etc) of proposed actions.

The project objectives are:

  1.  To produce a Security Risk Assessment Framework for European interconnected and interdependent transportation networks (i.e. modelling formalism; software tool; web-based service – IAT, Impact Assessment Tool)
  2. To evaluate the proposed Risk Assessment Framework in two specific simulations using the Athens and the Bologna regional transportation network, respectively.
  3. To disseminate the results of the project and to formulate a viable and sustainable exploitation strategy.

The project is implemented by the following partners:

  • INTRASOFT International SA (LU)
  • NCSRD – National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos (EL)
  • KEMEA – Center for Security Studies (EL)
  • CORTE – Confederation of Organisations in Road Transport Enforcement (BE)
  • QinetiQ – world-leading business solution provider (UK)
  • Fraunhofer IVI – Institute for transportation and infrastructure systems (DE)
  • CE.R.T.H. – Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (EL)
  • MPS – Metropolitan Police Service (UK) ; until february 2011
  • CTL -Transportation and logistics technology and consulting firm (CY)
  • SQUARIS – Independent consultancy in the field of transport (BE)
  • SRM – the Agency for Mobility and Local Public Transport (IT)

The participation of SRM in STAR-TRANS represents an opportunity to analyze the interconnection points, the infrastructure vulnerabilities, the likelihood of network blocks and their propagation to other networks. SRM is actively involved in the scenario definition as a potential user. In its role of Public Transport Authority, SRM has huge responsibilities on the territory under its administration, in the light of its linking functions among governmental bodies, transport operators and transport researchers. It supports decision makers in planning, awarding, monitoring and evaluating the transport service and its nodes. Furthermore SRM adopts the passengers’ perspective, constantly encouraging the shift from individual to collective transport.

The specific issues raised by STRA-TRANS allowed SRM to approach the standpoint of the Public Transport Network as a component of a Network of Networks present in the city. SRM is officially involved in the project from February 2011, managing a budget of about EUR 206.000,00 out of which about EUR 105.000,00 from EU funding.