South Africa’s railways are the heart of the nation’s transportation network, responsible for nearly 80% of passenger transport and over 30% of ore transport capacity. Despite their crucial role, maintaining this extensive infrastructure has become increasingly challenging.
Theft and outdated infrastructure plague the railways, with essential equipment regularly stolen and old locomotives requiring costly maintenance. Enter Huawei, with a cutting-edge solution combining vibration-sensing optical fiber and AI machine vision, poised to revolutionize the operations of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) the country’s main rail operator.
Spanning an impressive 38,000 kilometers, South Africa’s railway system is among the most extensive on the continent. PRASA, the country’s sole integrated passenger transport group, has made notable strides in modernizing its infrastructure and restoring damaged stations, particularly in Gauteng Province, home to Johannesburg. The group’s ambitious vision now includes digitalizing operations to become a “smart railway” operator, contributing to the nation’s economic revitalization.
However, PRASA faces a relentless adversary: theft. Frequent intrusions onto railway perimeters near urban centers lead to significant losses and costly repairs. The thefts can be so severe that they disrupt services entirely. The railway perimeter, designed to ensure safe operations, faces challenges from vegetation, animals, adverse weather, and social interference from pedestrians and vehicles.
Traditional perimeter protection methods suffer from high false alarm rates, missed detections, and poor system stability. Data fragmentation further complicates effective threat detection and escalates management costs, necessitating extensive manpower. This underscores the need for an integrated, multi-sensor approach to enhance threat detection capabilities.
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Huawei’s solution offers an end-to-end railway perimeter security system, integrating optical technologies with AI-driven machine vision. By merging optical and visual data into a unified management platform, the system can detect, report, and acknowledge threats, providing comprehensive security services for the railway perimeter.
This innovative solution, grounded in extensive research and tailored to PRASA’s specific needs, utilizes intelligent vibration-sensing optical fiber and video AI to ensure high stability and reliability, even in harsh weather conditions. “This is the world’s first application of optical-visual linkage detection in railways,” says Hishaam Emeran, CEO of PRASA. “PRASA is proud to embrace such innovative technologies. Huawei’s solution truly addresses our security challenges. I look forward to demonstrating this significant investment to our stakeholders.”
The integrity of PRASA’s system holds continental significance. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 envisions a cross-border railway network from Egypt to South Africa, enhancing the continent’s interconnectivity and economic exchange. South Africa’s railway system is a crucial component of this vision.
Huawei’s Smart Transportation Business Unit continuously refines digital railway applications, driving service innovation and enhancing the intelligence of global railways. By meeting the intelligent requirements for cost reduction, power efficiency, and operational reform, Huawei’s solution improves the quality and efficiency of transport operations, offering high-quality passenger and freight services.
This technological advancement not only secures PRASA’s operations but also propels South Africa towards a digitalized future, setting a benchmark for railway systems across Africa.
Source: Huawei
