Train Travellers To Face More ID And Bag Checks

More identification and baggage checks are to be introduced on key European rail routes after last week's foiled gun attack in France.

Undercover "marshals" on transborder trains were among plans discussed at high-level emergency talks on rail security.

European ministers - including UK Home Secretary Theresa May - met in Paris to discuss tougher security measures, including the possibility of metal detectors at stations.

Also understood to have been on the agenda was the idea of using full-body scanners for people who try to board at the last minute, and training staff to handle weapons.

The nine EU nations taking part - Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy and Spain - also agreed to "co-operate more closely still" over intelligence about suspected terrorists.

The idea is to reassure passengers and leave potential criminals wondering whether armed personnel are on the train.

But rail operators fear more screening will bring significant delays and encourage people to use more road transport. They are also uncomfortable with arming staff.

Nigel Harris, managing editor of Rail Magazine, said train security is an "immense issue" and questioned how effective the proposed measures would be.

He told Sky News: "I'm sure you've been on stations and you've seen the tempers fraying when people have to queue to get through a simple ticket barrier.

"The idea of airport-style security, with metal detectors, I mean where do you stop?

"When we had the 'shoe bomber' on an aeroplane a few years ago - belts, shoes - how do you pitch this?

"And, of course, on an aeroplane everyone gets on at once, they get off at once. That is not the same even with the long-distance trains."

The meeting came after a heavily-armed man was pinned to the floor by passengers on the Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris.

French prosecutors have charged Ayoub El-Khazzani, a 25-year-old Moroccan, in connection with the incident.

Questions have been raised about how someone boarded the train with a rifle, 270 rounds of ammunition, a handgun, a box-cutter and petrol.

After the talks, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said it is "essential to put in place co-ordinated operations on certain targeted routes".

Home Secretary Theresa May said the attempted attack in France was "a shocking reminder of the threats we all face".

"In Europe we must stand together in the face of such evil," she said.

"Today I reiterated the importance of proactively sharing intelligence across borders - particularly travel data and criminal records - and ensuring our law enforcement agencies are working hand in hand."

But Libor Lochman, executive director of European railways umbrella organisation CER, said it was important not to overreact.

"The level of threat from terrorism is different in each EU country, so flexible measures are needed to adapt to changing security threats," he said.

Recommendations from the meeting will be further discussed at an EU transport ministers meeting on 7-8 October.