A gunman opens fire on a crowded commuter train in Buffalo.
Fortunately, it was just an exercise to test and evaluate how local police officers respond to an active shooter situation on a mass transit passenger rail car, but the threat is real.
TSA’s Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program, also known as I-STEP, and Buffalo Surface Office teamed with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) and Buffalo Police Department to conduct three scenarios.
Outlining the tests, I-STEP Exercise Lead Drew Taylor said in the first scene, a passenger entered a train station and began shooting. The second scenario was similar, although the shooter entered the last train car, approached the conductor and used passengers as a barrier. The final exercise began similarly but added a second shooter.
“Each scenario presented unique and difficult challenges, requiring the officers to think, operate and move with a partner in the appropriate manner,” Taylor described. “This exercise was designed to test and evaluate how NFTA patrol officers communicate, coordinate and respond. It was an opportunity for them to see how they would handle, in real time, an incident on a train.”
Approximately 60 people took part in the drill. While these active shooter scenes were just a test, Taylor said it’s important for our nation’s commuter systems to be ready for emergencies like this.
“The threats identified in our scenarios are commonly seen in transit systems, specifically passenger rail,” noted Taylor. “The morning of our exercise, police arrested a local college student in Buffalo who said he was going to the college and start shooting. The potential for him to get onto the Metro was highly likely, as he was known to ride the train from his primary residence to the campus.”
Buffalo TSA Inspectors Luke Murphy and Theodore Poitras approached NFTA and Buffalo police to conduct training on the metro transit system and for TSA to partner with them on the exercise. NFTA requested TSA’s support for an even bigger exercise in 2026, and the plans for that are underway.
“The full-scale exercise is to provide NFTA and partners the opportunity to use operational and security policies, procedures and tactics and share information, implementing physical protective measures and operational coordination among employees, industry partners and security stakeholders in the event of a security incident,” said Murphy.
Taylor said the TSA I-STEP team identified areas of improvement following the active shooter exercises on the Buffalo Metro – communication, tactics and situational awareness, adding this exercise was a great learning experience for all, better preparing them for a real active shooter on board a train.
“NFTA is a very engaged and dedicated partner with TSA’s I-STEP,” said Darrin McGreevy, TSA Surface Operations I-STEP coordinator. “You could tell by the looks on their faces after the exercise was over that it was well worth it.”
TSA’s Policy, Plans and Engagement oversees the I-STEP program, which the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 mandated.
Andrew Bewick, I-STEP’s program director, said the 2024 DHS Homeland Threat Assessment warned that terrorism, both foreign and domestic, remains a top threat to the homeland, but other threats are increasingly crowding the threat space and can occur with little warning.
“I-STEP provides exercise support services to transportation systems to improve security and reduce risk to critical transportation infrastructure,” Bewick said. “Working in partnership with stakeholders, I-STEP customers span the public and private sectors. We serve various levels of organizations from frontline security to senior executives. I-STEP plays a critical role in helping the transportation systems sector build capacity for intermodal security in collaboration with stakeholders to mitigate threats and achieve outcome-focused security.”
Taylor said without TSA’s Surface Operations and NFTA’s desire to be better prepared, the active shooter exercise would never have happened.
“I-STEP is a pivotal piece in the relationship between the federal government, transportation operators and local law enforcement,” emphasized Taylor. “Using our knowledge, skills and abilities, we can help prepare all partners in all modes of transportation – aviation, mass transit/passenger rail, freight rail, highway/motor carrier, pipeline and maritime – to mitigate, respond and recover from manmade or natural disasters while focusing on security.”
By Don Wagner, TSA Strategic Communications & Public Affairs