Do class 158's/159's have forward facing cameras?

[304033]

Out of curiosity, do 158's/159's have forward facing cameras?
Searched but dont think anyone has asked this before.

 

[LowLevel]

Not as built (perhaps obviously) but some/all fleets will have had them added. EMT fitted theirs years ago.

 

[LRV3004]

Think TfW have on theirs too; they released some footage on a rail safety video a while back (when they were still ATW) of a near miss incident.

 

[Annetts key]

I can’t answer the question directly, but an increasing number of all trains (locos, DMUs, EMUs etc.) have forward facing cameras. If it was not original equipment, it’s retrofitted equipment.

It’s now becoming standard practice for video from these cameras to be used in investigations including internal railway investigations.

 

[WarrenTManager]

Yes. It was fitted pre 2012 by SWT if it was the SWR fleet you were asking after.

 

[PupCuff]

It’s now becoming standard practice for video from these cameras to be used in investigations including internal railway investigations.

Indeed - often one of the first things we'll look for after witness statements from the crew and the train's data recorder will be the forward facing cameras. Commonly used for infrastructure monitoring purposes too (eg after allegations of poorly sighted signals, sunlight obscuring aspects etc)

You get so much benefit from it I'm surprised not everything has it to be honest.