EU to review rail security, warns against over-reaction

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will review railway security, particularly on high-speed international lines, after last week's foiled attack in northern France but officials warned on Monday against over-reaction. EU transport ministers are likely to discuss the issue when they next meet in early October, said spokesmen for the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, and for the Council of the EU, which runs ministerial meetings among the member states. Asked about suggestions that travelers might be have to submit to identity or security checks before boarding trains such as the Amsterdam-Paris Thalys express where passengers subdued a gunman on Friday, Commission spokesman Jakub Adamowicz told reporters that security issues would be reviewed. However, he said, a working group of national and EU officials and industry representatives, set up in 2012, had so far seen only "moderate interest" in major changes. "It's a question of proportionality for each mode of transport," Adamowicz said when asked whether airline-style bag checks might be introduced - as they already are for travelers on passenger trains using the tunnel between France and Britain. Tighter security would slow boarding and create costs and logistical problems. It was important, Adamowicz said, to avoid a "hyperactive" response that might prove "counter-productive". (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Jan Lopatka)