Thales GTS boosting security on key network rail assets

The funding is being made available through the DfT’s First of a Kind 2022 innovation competition which this year focused on new concepts that will transform rail travel for passengers and decarbonise the network.

Thales GTS and specialist-SME Focus Sensors have worked together to develop a solution which utilises fibre-optic cables along key railway lines. The system is known as the FOAS Enabled Intruder Detection System (FEIDS).

Using unique acoustic signatures, the fibre-optic cables can detect people approaching tracks, pin down their location, and give an early warning to staff – technology that will reduce disruption, identify and prevent cable theft activity within one metre and also potentially acting as suicide intervention.

The equipment enables first-response policing and security to be deployed sooner and more accurately. In addition, instead of scanning CCTV, the long-range, autonomous nature of the FEIDS system allows operators to reduce workloads, lower costs, improve data usage and deepen automation over a large area.

Scott Heath, Innovation Manager at Thales GTS UK said:

"We are pleased that our work with Focus Sensors has been recognised and excited to work on more projects with an SME, demonstrating that Thales GTS can be a valuable partner for innovation development."

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