European ministers have agreed to increase security on key international rail routes and improve intelligence sharing after the thwarted gun attack on a Amsterdam-Paris train.
Representatives of nine countries met at a summit in Paris to formulate a co-ordinated response to the threat of an atrocity.
It produced an agreement to introduce tougher identity checks and baggage searches in both stations and trains after Moroccan Ayoub El-Khazzani was able to board the Thalys service with an assault rifle, 270 rounds of ammunition, a handgun, box cutter and petrol.
British IT expert Chris Norman and three US tourists subdued the suspected jihadist as he tried to launch his attack on a journey from Amsterdam to the French capital.
French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after the talks that is was “essential to put in place co-ordinated operations on certain targeted routes”.
The nations taking part, which also included Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy and Spain, had also agreed to "cooperate more closely still" over intelligence about the movements of suspected terrorists.
Mr Cazeneuve also said officials are looking at ways to work with the aviation industry on improving train security.
The ministers are also talking about giving train security staff more powers, and increasing the number of mixed patrols of international police teams on cross-border trains, according to four French security or justice officials.
Schengen zone
One thing not on the table was calling into question the principles of Europe’s border-free travel, known as the Schengen zone.
The security officials said there is no way to monitor each passenger and bag without choking the continental train system, which Europeans rely upon heavily.
"We can't do and don't want complete, comprehensive checks on people or luggage in trains in Germany or Europe, " German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said on the sidelines of the meeting.
He said the main issue is to improve targeted cooperation and the exchange of information on suspicious people.
France alone sees tens of thousands of international train passengers daily, in addition to millions of daily domestic train travellers.
The country’s national rail authority SNCF is concerned about the cost of additional security, according to one of the French security officials.
EU officials were expected to press for the increased use of closed circuit cameras in trains and stations and more metal detectors at entrances.
The European Commission was expected to raise the idea of using full-body scanners for people who try to board at the last minute.
Another idea is the more concerted use of passenger information, which some companies already collect, like the traveller data collected in air transport.
Plainclothes “rail marshals” were also seen as another possibility.
The results of the conference will be debated by Europe’s rail security group on September 11th, and forwarded for EU transport ministers to discuss when they meet on October 7th-8th.
PA