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Surveillance on track

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) needed a remote CCTV solution to detect and deal with a range of issues, from thefts in car parks, vandalism and graffiti, staff or passenger assaults, and ticket avoidance. "One of the problems we encounter is that no stations are identical yet many aspects look similar," says Catherine Casey-Thomas, IT project manager at ATW. She continues, "It was important to find a solution which could easily be understood and operated by those manning a control room who are not necessarily familiar with the layout of all the stations they are viewing, particularly as it was important to have a single central control room monitoring all 77 train stations remotely."

The complexity of the ATW network demanded the most sophisticated technology that could ensure the smooth running of the service even during the installation phase. In addition to these and other strict requirements, Arriva also had a limited budget. The CCTV system has been funded by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG).

Once the CCTV requirements had been identified, it was important to find a specialist who had experience in installing large-scale CCTV solutions in the rail industry. With this in mind, ATW selected Track Safe Telecom, an Adpro installer with a long track record of successful remote video installations in rail networks across the United Kingdom.

"When we looked at all the detailed requirements from Arriva, it was obvious that the Adpro system was the ideal solution. We consider this the most powerful remote site surveillance management system on the market. In fact, most other rail network companies also use Adpro FastTrace in similar installations," says Philip Owen, managing director of Track Safe Telecom.

The installation initially addressed the most urgent needs and was subsequently developed to encompass all of ATW's requirements. Comments Owen, "Adpro FastTrace is developed and manufactured with the customer in mind, and the monitoring software and video transmission system in particular allow the flexibility to connect to a wide range of equipment including dome cameras, public address systems, intercoms and other vital ancillaries. Hence, this system can be tailored for economy, to achieve the degree of identification or level of general surveillance required, whilst still leaving the opportunity to upgrade or expand at a later date."

The design of individual stations also had to be taken into account when installing cameras. Coverage of solitary areas, such as car parks, sloping open and underground walkways, bridges and platforms needed careful consideration so that the appropriate cameras/lens combinations were chosen. The basic components of the CCTV system comprise strategically placed cameras (colour), some of which were dome cameras whose functions (PTZ etc) could be controlled remotely.

The system is now fully installed as per ATW's specifications and pictures are recorded 24/7 at up to 100 images per second. The Adpro FastTrace not only allows the storage of video images from all activity which can be remotely viewed from the central control room, but also provides a detailed log of site activations and actions to the operators, providing instant retrieval access of up to 12 months worth of alarm information from a typical station which can then be used for audit purposes should the need arise.

Another benefit is the Adpro system's image quality, allowing face and number plate recognition if necessary. All the images are water marked providing us tamper-proof images with corresponding date stamps for use as admissible evidence in courts of law if needed. "Overall, in addition to monitoring all aspects of high risk security, Adpro FastTrace acts as a useful management tool, allowing us to monitor our 77 train stations across South Wales 24/7 from one central location," Casey-Thomas concludes.

Jeff Kitching, sales director at Vision Systems says, "As with any Adpro transport installation, the ultimate aim of course is to improve the service provided and to encourage more passengers to use the railway by reducing their perceptions and fears of crime. We are happy that Arriva trains have selected the Adpro FastTrace as a key enabler for their systems and now have a system that met their strict security requirements and benefits their customers."

Adpro products are available locally through CMT Trading.

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