Rail security today means defending against vandalism, tampering, maintenance lapses and cyber threats simultaneously. Access hardware sits at the heart of that challenge. James Stroud, Director of Product Management at Southco, explains how a tiered approach to physical and digital threats is shaping the company’s rail security product portfolio.
While vandalism, anti-social behaviour as well as accidental maintenance breaches have always been a risk to passenger safety and the security of high value assets on rail carriages, the overall threat landscape has changed as trains have become increasingly connected digitally, carrying more data and operating with greater autonomy.
Rail security today involves protecting vehicles from both physical and digital threats, a shift illustrated by the growth of fully autonomous operations such as London’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR), where onboard systems and critical data represent increasingly high-value targets.
Access hardware remains at the intersection of these two challenges: latching and locking solutions secure panels, control access to and prevent the unauthorised opening of containers and cabinets. They therefore reduce the risks of panels left open, tampering and theft and support broader efforts to protect against cyber threats.
Southco, the leading global designer and manufacturer of engineered access hardware, offers some distinct categories of products that provide solutions to accommodate varying security requirements for Rail applications.
The Versatility of Southco Compression Latch Security
Within a single rail carriage, there is a multitude of individual application points that require a panel latching solution that is robust, reliable and adaptable to varying levels of access restrictions. Southco’s E3 VISE ACTION® Compression Latches do exactly that: ensuring tight, robust vibration resistant door closure, helping reduce or eliminate noise and rattles caused by vibration and coming in a broad range of access configurations.
Product solutions that provide a basic level of access restriction include key locking compression latch versions with a DIN lock plug or a padlock bracket.
Moving on to a greater security level, Southco offers many different head styles as standard, that require special tools or keys for operating the latch. Depending on the requirements of each application and the environment the latch is operated in, Southco’s E3 VISE ACTION® Compression Latches ensure that they enhance application security at the required level, ranging from access via square and triangular keys of varying dimensions and offered with or without recess to a much more secure tubular key option which Southco can provide with customer-bespoke keycode variations.
In addition to these off-the shelf solutions, Southco has been working with OEMs in the Rail industry and other industrial markets for decades to develop custom head styles that suit their customers’ latching needs. Southco’s portfolio of compression latch security-enhancing head styles counts into the hundreds.
Securing Against Human Error
The most used head style is an 8.5mm square, commonly referred to as Railway standard within the industry. It is used on maintenance panels inside the carriage as well as on the train’s exterior, and it is therefore a highly frequented latch, operated by many different staff members. In these kinds of applications, the security concern is not as much about tampering or vandalism but the risk of human error, i.e. maintenance staff accidentally not closing latches properly and panels being left open. This is a particularly major security concern for exterior applications where a panel left unsecured might fall off when a train is travelling at high speed.
To avoid any such maintenance errors and ensure panels are securely latched, Make Safety Visible by Southco™ products provide visual indication of latch status and therefore show at a glance whether a latch is open or secured. The solutions that are best suited for the Railway industry are again based on Southco’s E3 VISE ACTION® Compression Latches. They have been enhanced through the addition of either reflective wings which deploy when the latch is opened and only retract when the latch is fully secure or a bi-stable cover that will stay open and cannot be closed as long as the product is unlatched. For rail carriage interior panel solutions which are less safety-critical, Southco also offers a range of latches with colour-coded markings etched into the latch face, making maintenance procedures easier and less prone to errors.
The Next Generation of Protection Through Compression Latch Security
Southco is developing a further evolution of their E3 VISE ACTION® Compression Latch platform: a key-lockable variant engineered to offer a near-indefinite number of keycode combinations. This solution which will be firstly showcased at the upcoming InnoTrans exhibition in September this year, specifically targets data-carrying enclosures and cabinets which demand a very high level of access security. The industry continues to favour mechanical over electromechanical latching solutions as a mechanical solution carries no risk of a digital attack.
Security Through Concealed Latching
Where Compression Latches secure panels through visible, accessible mechanisms, Southco’s Rotary Latching systems take a different approach to security, one based on concealment.
The latch body, actuator and cable are all hidden behind the panel, leaving no obvious point of attack for anyone attempting to gain unauthorised access.
Actuation can be remote or hidden. A pinhole release for instance, is invisible to anyone who doesn’t know where to look. This makes rotary systems particularly effective in environments where vandalism is a concern. Without a visible mechanism to target, the risk of interference is significantly reduced.
In the Rail industry, Rotary latching systems are often used for securing ceiling panels where extensive cabling runs are hidden from view. Keeping that cabling inaccessible is a priority both to protect the integrity of onboard systems and to guard against the kind of opportunistic tampering that can cause costly disruption. Southco’s Rotary Latch range, which includes concealed actuator and remote release options, has been adopted in exactly this context, providing operators with a low-profile, hidden solution that secures high-value infrastructure.
Controlling Access Electronically
Electronic access control or Connected Access represents Southco’s most technologically advanced approach to security. Where mechanical solutions control who can access a space through physical keying, electronic access control adds a layer of monitoring and management, allowing operators to track, restrict and audit access in real time.
Southco’s Connected Access range targets applications where the consequences of unauthorised entry are most severe. Doors to individual compartments on sleeper services are one example, but perhaps the strongest case is the driver’s cab. As with a commercial aircraft cockpit, the vulnerability of a train driver to unwanted intrusion carries significant safety implications, and electronic access control provides a means of managing that risk with a level of precision that mechanical solutions alone cannot match.
In practice, this can mean mobile app-based access management: Southco’s recently launched plug and play solution, the free Keypanion® app combined with a Southco lock and Bluetooth® controller allows door access to be controlled and monitored via a smartphone, offering flexibility without compromising security.
While electronic access in the Rail industry remains a developing area, Southco continues to invest in solutions for this space, anticipating that growing connectivity and autonomy across the industry will bring demand in line with the technology’s potential.
Security Across Every Level
Southco offers a tiered approach to Rail security, one that gives operators and OEMs the flexibility to match the level of protection to the specific demands of each application.
A thread running through all of these is the recognition that there is no single answer to Rail security, because physical and digital threats require solutions that can operate across both dimensions. Notably, when OEMs are seeking their highest levels of protection, the industry often continues to look to mechanical solutions because they carry no digital attack surface. However, there is clear potential to integrate electronic solutions and Southco is well-placed to introduce Connected Access solutions onboard.
Southco will be showcasing its full range of security-supporting access hardware at InnoTrans in Hall 3.1, Stand 300 including new developments in high-security mechanical latching making their public debut at the show.
For operators and OEMs looking to diversify and strengthen carriage security across every tier, the full range will be on display throughout the event.
Book an exclusive unveil of Southco’s brand-new solutions for Rail Security, at InnoTrans here.
