Transportation Systems Sector
The Transportation Systems Sector moves people and goods throughout the United States and connects communities, businesses, industries, and markets to the rest of the world. Its infrastructure and services are essential to economic activity, national security, emergency response, supply chains, and the daily movement of millions of people and enormous quantities of freight.
Overview
The sector encompasses multiple modes of transportation, including aviation, highways and motor carriers, maritime transportation, mass transit and passenger rail, freight rail, pipelines, and other systems that support the movement of people and goods. These modes form an interconnected national and global transportation network.
Transportation systems depend on energy, communications, information technology, financial services, emergency services, and other critical infrastructure. Major transportation hubs such as airports, ports, rail terminals, and highway networks also serve as important points of connection among infrastructure systems and supply chains, meaning disruptions can produce significant cascading effects.
Protecting the Transportation Systems Sector requires cybersecurity, physical security, transportation and supply-chain resilience, emergency preparedness, infrastructure maintenance, and coordination among public agencies and private operators. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Transportation share Sector Risk Management Agency responsibilities for the Transportation Systems Sector.
