There is no comparison between the conditions provided for passengers in a modernised railway station in Western Europe and one in Romania (Eastern Europe), not even in terms of video surveillance systems. Not to mention the body scanner, which certain European cities are thinking about implementing inside railway stations, in order to provide the same safety conditions found in airports. “It’s not just the video surveillance systems, but everything related to railway safety. Why is the situation so bad? There are various reasons, some of which include the lack of responsibility, the lack of a department in charge of security within CFR (the company which manages railway stations in Romania), the lack of financial resources”, says Alex Vladuţoiu, Managing Director Alfred Net, a supplier of security solutions. “For a while now we have been trying to promote the idea of creating a centralized security system, which involves the installation of various security systems – video surveillance, access control, antitheft, fireproofing – in critical infrastructure points such as railway stations, depots, electrification substations, all centralized in a command/dispatch centre”, added Alex Vlăduţoiu. It goes without saying that this centralized dispatch centre will be able to manage these systems, monitor the information received and act according to a well-defined security policy.
Outdated technologies
Currently, most of the surveillance systems which operate in Romanian railway stations are based on outdated analogical technologies (analogical video cameras and DVR). Every system is independent; they come from various sources and they are not interconnected. Many of them are no longer working. “Modern technologies are IP-based. The trend is to go from analogical systems to IP-based systems. Currently, most of the systems, be it telephony, data networks or telecommunications are IP-based. The quality and performances of these systems are significantly better compared to analogical systems”, explained Vlăduţoiu. In this context, CFR has already announced that they will allocate over EUR 20 Million (RON 90 Million) for the modernisation of Slatina, Râmnicu Vâlcea and Reşiţa Sud railway stations. The contracts for these projects will be awarded following a public tender. At the end of last year, Romanian Minister of Transport Anca Boagiu said that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure plans to modernise 21 railway stations, with a total investment of EUR 227 Million.
Security, a priority
“Currently, I don’t think that there is any term of comparison between Romanian railway stations and those in other EU member states, who focus on security and even categorize it as a priority. Indeed, this depends on various geo-political and social factors. We have no terrorist threats as the UK or Spain”, added Vlăduţoiu. In other countries, the railway stations are equipped with security systems (video surveillance, access control), security personnel, and the police and other competent authorities have the possibility to make good use of them. All these systems are centralized and they manage to significantly reduce the number of incidents (terrorism, vandalism). Last year, Brice Hortefeux, the French Minister of Interior, announced increased security measures in railway stations and trains, by installing 25.000 video surveillance cameras inside rail cars in order to fight against delinquency, shows AFP. Also last year, Italian Ministry of Interior representatives announced that they plan to extend airport control systems in certain railway stations. More precisely, certain railway stations in Italy will be equipped with body scanners for increased safety and security.
Will railway stations in Romania ever match up to the ones in Western Europe, following intense investment and development programs? Hard to say, especially seeing as the past few years have showed that many projects developed in a difficult manner, even though many of them received financial support.
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