Engineers carry out explosion to test new bomb-resistant carriage

A CONTROLLED explosion has been carried out on a decommissioned Underground carriage as part of a project aimed at making train carriages bomb-proof.

UK engineers have developed blast-resistant rolling stock after studying the 7/7 London terrorist bombings and hope to offer advice to the rail industry on how to protect passengers.

The EU-funded SecureMetro project was launched three years ago. Experts focused on two areas – containing the blast impact and reducing levels of debris that kill, maim and impede emergency services.

During the controlled explosion on the Tube carriage, high-speed cameras were used to slow down the blast, allowing its impact on the vehicle to be analysed in detail.