Rail Transportation (Critical Infrastructure) Research Paper Sample

The overall purpose for the critical infrastructure resilience analysis is to offer support for the management of the particular infrastructure by giving them a set of flexible, complex and dynamic conclusions and principles that act as the basis for the application of the plan for the continuity of the business. Critical infrastructure resilience can attain the required standards of competency and awareness through an active contributions and participation of the central and local authorities. This can also be achieved through the inclusion of the local partners that are responsible for the management of the critical infrastructures and services and the economic operators, the various companies that provide safety technology and private security services, academic representatives nongovernmental organizations and the media.
Rail transport is further subdivided into mass transit and passenger rail, and freight rail. The mass transit and passenger rail comprises of services by buses, rail transit-commuter rail and heavy rail, which is popularly known as subways or metros, and light rail that, includes trolleys and streetcars. The other category of the aforementioned subdivision of the rail transport is the long distance rail-Amtrak and Alaska railroad-and other minor types of services such as the cable cars, funiculars, inclined planes and automated guide way systems. Freight rail on the other hand comprises of seven major carriers, more than 140,000 miles of active railroad, hundreds of smaller railroads, about 20,000 locomotives and slightly above 1.3 million freight cars. The Department of Defense has allocated 30,000 miles of track and structure as crucial in the resupply and mobilization of the United States forces.
The best resilience strategy that I have chosen is the development and implementation of an information exchange framework that enables effective collaboration and co-operation. In my considerations, I chose this as the best strategy since in my opinion; it is the most important in the achievements of the targets that are set through specific resilience plans. Information is the basic unit that enhances operations, especially where several players are involved. Rail transportation, just like other critical infrastructures, has varied players, who need to be coordinated in a move to enhance competency and reliability.
Majority of the U.S. critical infrastructure, including the rail transport is either owned or operated by the private sector. In order to maintain and strengthen functioning, secure, and resilient rail transportation infrastructure, effective and regular collaboration and exchange of information between all government departments and the operators and owners of this critical infrastructure must be fostered. Effective collaboration systems and information exchange procedures are important in decision-making processes and provide a guide to a collaborated action by facilitating the periodical exchange of vulnerability and threat related information together with actionable defensive action. Effective communication also enhances a common understanding of the private and public entities. It also creates mutual working relationships between these partners before a crisis. Additionally, it organizes security measures to establish a level playing field across owners and operators, and the various sectors of the economy. Finally, it facilitates and optimizes resources to advance the collective ability of the owners and operators in acting towards a threat or a deteriorating incident that would otherwise pose a challenge to and individual entity. The information system to be selected should address challenges of inclusiveness of the baseline information exchange mechanism requirements, the various access point of information, and systems and processes that streamline the effort.