Vulnerability analysis of interdependent critical infrastructures: case study of the Swedish railway system

Critical infrastructures provide essential services which enable our society to function. Disruptions in infrastructures can have widespread effects, not only for the originating infrastructure but also, through mutual dependencies, for other infrastructures. Identifying vulnerabilities inherent in these system-of-systems is thus highly critical for the proactive management and avoidance of future crises. A modelling approach for interdependent technical infrastructures is proposed and three perspectives for the analysis of vulnerabilities are introduced, addressing the complexities associated with comprehensively analysing technical interdependent infrastructures. An empirical analysis of the railway system in southern Sweden is conducted, a system consisting of seven interdependent supporting systems. It is concluded that the proposed modelling approach and the three perspectives of vulnerability analysis give valuable insights for the proactive risk management of technical infrastructures.