Rail vandalism and sabotage have become a massive problem in South Africa, with incidents of theft and destruction of infrastructure not only causing significant financial losses to rail operators, but also impacting the movement of freight.Possibly the most common form of rail vandalism has been cable theft, often resulting in the rail system coming to a complete standstill. Another challenge for rail operators has been rail breaks, with the solar panels and batteries that power up the sensors to indicate a break being targeted by criminals, resulting in too many rail breaks going undetected and trains derailing.According to Frans Struwig, CEO of HisWay Labs, technology can be used to bring about a complete change in the current landscape. “The incidents on our rail network are predatory and not sabotage. What I mean by this is that it is relatively easy for criminals and there is the cost benefit in selling the copper, batteries and solar panels.”Struwig believes the solution lies in increasing the cost of vandalism for perpetrators while reducing the benefit they get.HisWay Labs has developed an Internet of Things (IoT) device that is installed on the railway that is virtually vandal-proof. “It is fixed on a sleeper wrapped with 3mm steel with two steel cables connected to the rail,” explains Struwig. “While it is extremely difficult to remove, the reality is that it is worthless to those that do get it right. “The sensor has several core functions, including train vacancy detection, rail break detection, real-time speed and positioning as well as 4km sensing range.”It has several other technical value add-ons such as train completion and tamper detection.
