Rail Yard Security Threats & Solutions

Improving Rail Yard Security

Railways are vital. They carry both people and goods across North America and they’re crucial to many business activities. In a lot of industries, they are considered to be the “backbone” of commerce.  However, they hold quite the potential for security threats and other issues.

This is why rail yard security is so important. These sites cannot be compromised by criminals for many crucial reasons.

Rail yards are vital components of the railway system, and this makes them a common target for criminals. They often take the opportunity to strike trains in the yard, since trains filled with valuable assets are often sitting idle in yards. This can happen for many reasons, including shipping delays and supply chain congestion.

At rail yards, there may not be constant security and, even if there is, it becomes very difficult for guards to watch over all trains throughout the yard at the same time. Criminals know this, and they look for weaknesses and unwatched areas to commit their crimes.

Rail yard theft is a serious problem for businesses as it causes further disruptions to shipping, can lead to significant financial losses, and can even harm the reputation of a company. In addition, not only is rail yard security important for businesses, but it also has national security and safety implications as well.

The rail needs to be able to operate without security risks or other potential issues. Vandalism and nefarious acts not only potentially slow down rail transportation, but criminals can also cause significant injury or worse if they are able to disrupt or damage trains. Therefore, rail yard security is critical.

Improving Rail Yard Security

As mentioned, one of the potential security risks at train yards is that security guards are often unable to see every part of a property at once. Even if many guards are making their rounds throughout the site, there will be areas that they cannot see. Criminals recognize this and they will strike when they aren’t being watched.

Criminals will also use the night to their advantage. It becomes significantly more difficult to spot a criminal when the sun goes down and there isn’t much lighting. Criminals take advantage of this and use these opportunities to steal what they’re looking for.

However, there are ways to effectively improve rail yard security. One major way is by effectively using security technology. Since security guards and other security individuals cannot be everywhere at once, it makes sense to use technology to protect train yards.

However, these yards are very unlike many other sites. First of all, they’re typically located in open space, so that trains can move around the yard, enter, and exit the property. This means that fences or other types of security may not be that effective.

It’s also important that staff, drivers, operators, etc. be able to access the trains without difficulty. However, you want to make sure to keep criminals out at the same time. Traditional motion detectors tend to not be very effective in these situations, since they can be triggered by train movement, animals in the yard, etc.

A powerful solution is to use live remote monitoring technology to improve rail yard security. With live monitoring, agents can watch over the entire site 24/7.

How Live Remote Monitoring Works at Rail Yards

Live monitoring cameras are strategically placed around the property, making it possible for remote agents to see everything that happens in and around the yard. These tools can be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) that aids agents in spotting suspicious situations.

When anything out of the ordinary is noticed, the security team can communicate directly with the site, letting the individuals know that they are being watched and informing them that police will be called immediately if they do not leave the site right away.

This prevents criminals from striking, which is much better than waiting until the damage has been done or the items have been stolen before acting.

Using remote monitoring is a powerful way to drastically improve rail yard security. Cameras can capture clear footage of the property and the perimeter of the site in nearly all lighting conditions, even at night. This provides a significant advantage over traditional security guards. In addition, remote cameras cannot be threatened or intimidated by criminals.

This, unfortunately, isn’t the case with security guards. Remote agents can continue to do their jobs regardless of the situation on the ground. For more information, please contact Birdseye Security Solutions today.