• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Track Monitoring Cameras

Status
Not open for further replies.

Deepgreen

Established Member
Joined
12 Jun 2013
Messages
6,340
Location
Betchworth, Surrey
Apologies if this has been handled elsewhere. Some types of stock (377/6, 377/7 spring to mind) have track monitoring cameras and high-intensity LED lights just above rail level. I'm interested to know; why the lights are provided above one rail only, and what images are recorded. Also, for how long are the recordings retained?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

SPADTrap

Established Member
Joined
15 Oct 2012
Messages
2,352
Apologies if this has been handled elsewhere. Some types of stock (377/6, 377/7 spring to mind) have track monitoring cameras and high-intensity LED lights just above rail level. I'm interested to know; why the lights are provided above one rail only, and what images are recorded. Also, for how long are the recordings retained?

On the Electrostars I drive we have the usual forward facing camera and the 'track debris' camera and the pan camera. Whenever I have seen footage from one at night it looked sufficiently lit, it records video on ours rather than a series of stills, we have a button on the TCMS to 'mark' the CCTV if something happens to make retrieving the video easier. I don't know how long it is stored for though! One thing to say for Electrostars is they have cameras everywhere, inside and out!
 
Last edited:

MrPIC

Member
Joined
30 May 2015
Messages
425
The cameras for track debris are aimed in such a way that they cover all of the 4ft in front of the train. Not sure about the other questions, but I know on 379 stock you can view all the cameras (track debris, pan cam etc) from the TMS in the cab
 

GM228

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2015
Messages
154
On the Electrostars I drive we have the usual forward facing camera and the 'track debris' camera and the pan camera. Whenever I have seen footage from one at night it looked sufficiently lit, it records video on ours rather than a series of stills, we have a button on the TCMS to 'mark' the CCTV if something happens to make retrieving the video easier. I don't know how long it is stored for though! One thing to say for Electrostars is they have cameras everywhere, inside and out!

AFAIK EU law states that CCTV footage can be stored for no longer than 29 days, all stock is different depending on the unit type, some are only held for 48 hours and some every 30 days (yes 1 day over the limit!).
 

GM228

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2015
Messages
154
I need to do some reading, but I believe that only applies to CCTV of people in public areas.

Yes and isn't external/internal CCTV images stored together as it applies to passengers on a train.
 

najaB

Veteran Member
Joined
28 Aug 2011
Messages
30,693
Location
Scotland
After a quick look, I can't find an actual upper limit on retention, the data protection act just says that it shouldn't be stored for longer than necessary.

Could you provide a link to a source for the 29 day limit? Thanks.
 

GM228

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2015
Messages
154
After a quick look, I can't find an actual upper limit on retention, the data protection act just says that it shouldn't be stored for longer than necessary.

Could you provide a link to a source for the 29 day limit? Thanks.

I don't have a link to hand but having been involved in the legal dept of a EU rail company in the past I remeber the 29 day limit.
 

najaB

Veteran Member
Joined
28 Aug 2011
Messages
30,693
Location
Scotland
I don't have a link to hand but having been involved in the legal dept of a EU rail company in the past I remeber the 29 day limit.
I think you may have mis-remembered or it may have been a company policy. I've found several examples online of CCTV data being stored for longer than 29 days. For example, TfL store it for 30 days in several locations. NMDL (no, never heard of them before either) recommend 31 days. The Highland Police store it for up to 49 days. And so on...
 

GM228

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2015
Messages
154
I think you may have mis-remembered or it may have been a company policy. I've found several examples online of CCTV data being stored for longer than 29 days. For example, TfL store it for 30 days in several locations. NMDL (no, never heard of them before either) recommend 31 days. The Highland Police store it for up to 49 days. And so on...

Having though about it you are correct I have misremembered this! The EU does not regulate this, rather each country controls it via their Data Protection and Privacy laws, some EU countries have limits and some have recommendations, the US and Canada have neither IIRC.

IIRC in the UK a Data Controller or similar person of an organisation must justify the time the CCTV is kept (retention time should reflect the purpose of the CCTV-which is as clear as mud IMO). I still think 29 days is the accepted industry norm as I just can't get that figure out of my head (it definately wasn't a company specific limit).
 

Clip

Established Member
Joined
28 Jun 2010
Messages
10,822
I think the reason it marks it is so that it tells the system to not overwrite it if its on a continuous recording loop.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top