printer friendly version

An eye on the railway system

The railway system is the primary means of transport for scores of commuters travelling to work in South Africa. Along with the taxi industry, the railway is considered to be one of the most important components of the South African economy as it carries the country’s workforce to their places of work every day.

However, the safety standards in South African trains still leave a lot to be desired. The numerous reports of vandalism, crime and train surfing incidents are testimony to this.

Around the world network cameras are being installed in trains as part of a solution to improve security for passengers and personnel. Cameras installed both inside the train coaches and outside, in front and behind the train provide all-round protection for everyone.

An example of a successful railway installation is the Norwegian State Railways installation. A total of 3421 network cameras were installed, ranging from discreet unobtrusive cameras that do not compromise passenger comfort, to powerful day/night cameras for effective 24 hours surveillance.

Despite its size, the solution was relatively easy to install. This was mainly because of the Power over Ethernet capability that is imbedded in network cameras, which enables the cameras to use the same Ethernet cable for both power and image transmission, making installation fast and cost efficient.

Being a network system, the installation is also highly scalable, allowing for extra cameras to be added to the system at any time, without any major infrastructure upgrades.

Such installations are not unique to the railway industry only. Similar solutions have been installed in many other demanding environments such as buses and subway cars around the world.

Share this article:

Further reading: