Helping South African railways get on the fast track to digitalization

Railways are South Africa's most important means of transportation, providing nearly 80% of passenger transport capacity.

But security has been a problem. Thieves kept entering the tracks and restricted areas to steal essential equipment. Fortunately, a Huawei solution using vibration-sensing optical fiber and AI machine vision was able to help. 

South Africa's railway system spans over 38,000 km of tracks. PRASA, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, is the leading provider of commuter railway services.

It aims to digitalize operations and become a "smart railway" operator, but theft has posed a constant challenge. Frequent intrusions onto the railway perimeter have resulted in heavy losses and high rehabilitation expenses. At times, large-scale theft has forced PRASA to suspend service.

Safeguarding railway perimeter protection is not a new problem, and considerable effort has been expended in integrating multiple sensing technologies to detect different types of threats.

Huawei’s approach combines optical technologies and machine vision into a platform that detects and reports intrusions.  Using AI, vibration-sensing optical fiber, and video surveillance, the solution delivered reliable results, even in rugged conditions such as strong wind and heavy rain.

PRASA’s system has implications for the whole of Africa. A lack of infrastructure connecting African countries hampers the exchange of goods, services, and people. To address this issue, the African Union's Agenda 2063 proposed a cross-border railway network project for intra-Africa interconnection.

The project aims to establish an integrated railway network from Egypt to South Africa. South Africa's railway system will be an essential part of this network.

Huawei's Smart Transportation unit develops digital railway applications to accelerate service innovation and enhance the intelligence of global railways. By making railway operations more secure and efficient, Huawei is helping PRASA get on the fast track to digitalization.

Watch this video to learn more.