Vandalism, trespass, graffiti, and metal theft are four scourges for the rail industry that cause delays and put a strain on budgets. Trespass, for example, not only requires trains in the vicinity to be stopped, this has a knock-on effect across a whole region and the line then has to be checked for damage. Illegal fly-tipping close to railway lines is also a growing problem for rail authorities. The theft of metal is another growing problem despite cash for metal now being illegal and scrap metal dealers required to be licensed. In one six-month period in 2023, one stretch of the Wales and Borders route cost the taxpayer £1.1m in cable theft alone.
Rail safety teams are generally proactive in deterring these problems. Known hotspots will often have fencing to act as a deterrent and trespass aware campaigns are mounted within schools and local community hubs. Drone security is also being made available to crack down on vandalism. However, the securing of railway sites remains challenging as in many cases the onsite power supply cannot be shared with outside agencies unless a charge is paid.
Off-grid solutions are therefore a desirable and cost-effective solution for rail operators. OCULi HD is a viable solution for such sites as they can be battery or solar powered and are rapidly deployable with no civil works required. When movement is detected OCULi HD will start recording with a short uploaded video ready to view within 30 seconds. Units can be monitored via a CCTV monitoring station or devices can be self-monitored using the powerful OCULi portal. With a choice of detection ranges from 15m with a wide-angle lens or 40m with a telephoto lens, units can be strategically placed at known hotspots. The addition of speakers, which can be set to sound automatically on detection or via live voice challenge, add an extra layer of protection. Additionally, OCULi HD units can be activated by an external source such as IR beams or PIR detectors.
