Can railway station design reduce the risk of a terrorist attack or the impact of an incident?

Railway stations can, in a great number of cases, be classified as ‘Crowded Places’ and therefore represent attractive potential targets for terrorists. The principles of Situational Crime Prevention which centre on delay, detect, deter, and deflect remain the basis upon which counter terrorist security is based aiming to make a station more difficult or unwelcoming for a terrorist to operate within, or reducing the impact of an incident, should it occur. The use of the Operational Requirement (OR) process is highly recommended to ensure that cost-effective, relevant, and proportionate physical security measures are implemented. This approach is described here and represents current best practice. This article seeks to identify how design can be used to reduce the risk and impact of a terrorist attack using explosive devices and how elements of a station design can contribute to this, while at the same time enhancing overall crime prevention.