Ground transportation securityCanada tests explosive detecting ticket readers

Published 23 January 2012

In a pilot program, Canadian light rail passengers in Edmonton will be scanned for explosives as they pass through ticket turnstiles in a seamless system that avoids recreating the long lines of airport security checkpoints

In a pilot program, Canadian light rail passengers in Edmonton will be scanned for explosives as they pass through ticket turnstiles in a seamless system that avoids recreating the long lines of airport security checkpoints.

Working in conjunction with Cubic Security Systems, a California-based company, Canadian firm Mobile Detect will modify ticket machines to simultaneously process passenger tickets and scan for explosives and radiological threats both in the ticket and their body.

Basically a passenger puts a ticket in a validator, the technology quickly scans the ticket for explosive materials, then returns the ticket to the passenger. At the same time another detector in the vendor is on the lookout for radioactive materials being carried on the passenger’s person. These two technologies will work in unison to provide threat detection and response,” explained Walt Bonneau Jr., the president and general manager of Cubic Security Systems.

A silent alarm triggers video surveillance of the person suspected to be carrying threatening materials, and authorities such as police and transit security are immediately notified.”

The specialized ticket machines scan for explosives by reading color changes on the molecularly imprinted polymer coatings on the surface of the tickets that will indicate if they have been in the presence of any dangerous substances.

The pilot program is scheduled to be in place for a three-week trial period, after which officials will study the results before making any decisions to expand the program
“The city’s perspective is that this is a great opportunity both to look at cutting-edge ways to enhance security on the Edmonton Transit System and thereby assist with security on transit systems across Canada,” said Graeme McElheran, a spokesman for the City of Edmonton.

McElheran was careful to note that the pilot program will not disrupt train service or affect passengers. In addition, he emphasized that the program was not in response to any specific threat, but simply to test new technology.

When the project winds up, public transit operators in Canada will have access to new data and knowledge that can help them make future decisions on how to increase the security of public transit system riders,” said Danya Vidosa, a spokeswoman for Defense Research and Development Canada’s Centre for Security Science, which funded the trial.
“We all hope that Canada will never have to face a terrorist threat. But in the unlikely event that it does, projects like this contribute to developing the tools and knowledge that we need to be better prepared to respond quickly and effectively,” Vidosa added.

According to Bonneau, mass transit systems in North America are particularly attractive targets for terrorists as they carry more than fifteen times as many passengers than airplanes each year, yet have made little improvements in the way of security.

The history of the past several years has shown us that public transit and commuter rail systems have been threatened as much as commercial aviation,” Bonneau said. 

Correction:
Cubic Corporation sent us these clarifications to a couple of items in the article. Edmonton does not use turnstiles but rather has an honor system that requires passengers to validate their tickets before boarding the train. Under the pilot program, Edmonton will receive modified validators that will scan the passenger’s ticket for explosives residue. Additionally, there will be radiological detectors in the ticket vending machines.