PUEBLO, Colo.—Railroads and federal security officials want to build a complex of above-ground tunnels at a Colorado test center to experiment with ways to protect trains and subway stations from terrorist attacks and accidents.
The Transportation Technology Center is already testing emergency responses to spills of simulated hazardous materials from trains. After train bombings in Great Britain, Spain and India, officials want to investigate ways to secure rail and subway systems from terrorists.
“I’m concerned about trains and tunnels; I’m concerned about bridges; I’m concerned about the cars and the people,” said Mary Ellen Hynes, a research director for the Homeland Security Department.
Hynes said the new research is designed to see how tunnels react to explosions and how tunnels can be strengthened and made safer. The tests would also look for ways to improve rail passenger cars.
“It has the potential to be a tremendous asset to our research,” Hynes said.
Funding for the $18 million tunnel project is awaiting congressional approval.
The Transportation Technology Center, about 20 miles northeast of Pueblo, is owned by the federal Transportation Department and operated under contract by the Association of American Railroads, an industry group.
The 52-square-mile center tests locomotives, freight cars and passenger cars on 48 miles of tracks and in laboratories.
It works with railroad officials from other countries including China and India and also researches maritime and highway safety.
The center also trains emergency responders to deal with hazardous materials spills and leaks from trains.
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