Railways, Metros and Trams
Video surveillance is a great security solution for the transportation market. Security cameras on railways, metros and trams can help protect innocent citizens from terrorist attacks and help maintain a safe and secure transportation environment.
Railways
The massive network of rails, crossings (manned and unmanned), stations, maintenance depots, car parks and trains in a national rail system brings a complex combination of considerations for the rail security manager.
For many years, surveillance systems have been used to ensure that level crossings were safe for trains to pass, public traffic on platforms had not encroached onto the railway lines and rail company buildings and property were not on fire or being vandalised. Terrorist activities and the implications for rail authorities around the world have added new dimensions and even greater emphasis to the security of rail systems.
Surveillance in the rail environment can improve:
- National security
- Deterrence of terrorism
- Detention of known criminals
- Integrity of borders
- Rail security and safety
- Emergency response to major incidents
- Response to person on line
- Detection of vehicles on level crossings
- Response to unauthorised access
- Detection of unattended baggage
- Deterrence to vandalism, theft and misconduct
- Passenger security and safety
- Platform protection of passenger
- Car parking security issues
- Dealing with overcrowded platforms
- Response to passengers in distress
- Operational effectiveness
- Public, staff and supplier movements
- Handling freight
- Work and maintenance practices
- Multi-agency response
- Coordination of fire, police, ambulance and rail authority
- Project expenditure
- Lower cabling cost
- Network availability
Metros & Trams
Safeguarding many thousands of passengers in an underground environment is the substantial task of security managers of metro authorities. Large metro systems may contain thousands of cameras with many hundreds of monitors being deployed throughout distributed control rooms.
Historically, metro security surveillance systems have relied on the ability of security operators to effectively monitor and detect security alerts from within the vast array of cameras that are passively being scanned. Hence such responses in real-time may be delayed or missed temporarily until subsequent scans register that an incident has taken place.
Also on trams where the only authority figure on board is usually the driver (who clearly has his or her hands full), it's hard to maintain a tight level of security. Video surveillance cameras are working to help solve this problem. Many trams are now equipped with security cameras. By functioning as deterrents to criminal activity and inappropriate behaviour, these cameras provide passengers and drivers with an added sense of security, and can also supply valuable evidence during criminal investigations.
Therefore surveillance in the metro and tram environment can improve:
- National security
- Deterrence of terrorism
- Detection of known criminals
- Confidence in busy commercial cities
- Metro and tram security and safety
- Emergency response to major incidents
- Detecting abnormal behaviour
- Response to unauthorised access
- Detection of unattended baggage
- Deterrence of vandalism, theft and misconduct
- Project expenditure
- Lower cabling cost
- Network availability
- System integration
- Passenger security and safety
- Platform protection of passenger
- Dealing with overcrowded platforms
- Response to passengers in distress
- Operational effectiveness
- Public, staff, supplier, movements
- Work and maintenance practices
- Detection of barrier-hopping
- Multi-agency response
- Coordination of fire and police ambulance and metro authority
- Availability of network
- Integration with other systems
