Netherlands ill-prepared for railway sabotage, ProRail boss warns
The Netherlands is not prepared for sabotage to its railway, ProRail CEO John Voppen warned, responding to a warning from the Ukrainian Railways. “Our railway system is built on efficiency, not resilience. It is not sabotage-proof,” Voppen said in an interview with the Telegraaf.
Oleg Yakovenko of the Ukrainian Railways warned that Russian attacks on the rail network are constantly changing in his country and that Europe is increasingly coming under Russian scrutiny. Hackers are already regularly attacking railway systems throughout Europe. It is only a matter of time before attacks become physical, he said.
“Look at the situation with drones at European airports. You really need to radically rethink your approach to resilience,” Yakovenko warned. According to him, Europe’s thinking about resilience is still in its infancy. “I have the impression that it wasn’t until drones appeared in Poland that you realized that war was getting closer. That requires a massive, fundamental shift towards protection and resilience.”
The railway is part of the daily lives of millions of commuters, so sabotage will have a major social impact. But the railway is also crucial within NATO, Voppen of ProRail stressed. Should Russia threaten or attack the eastern flank of the continent, equipment and personnel will have to be moved rapidly along the east-west lines. According to Voppen, ProRail is very aware of that.
Voppen agrees that you can’t completely prevent attacks and sabotage, so you have to be able to resolve issues quickly. “Our system isn’t built for that,” he told the Telegraaf. “If you truly want the railways to become resilient and recover even faster, that requires investment. It’s good that The Hague is now commissioning research into what’s needed.”
