IP CCTV solution for St Pancras International

Story link: IP CCTV solution for St Pancras International by Brian Turner

A highly sophisticated surveillance solution has been applied to the refurbishment of St Pancras International station, involving more than 450 cameras, and with IP CCTV running at its core.

The refurbishment and extension of St Pancras International is part of High Speed 1 (HS1), formally known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the main rail link between the UK and France.

Developed by ControlWare Communications, the surveillance project for the station involves a wide range of different surveillance equipment.

Based on IP technology, it involves a mixture of both static and dome cameras, IP codecs, networked storage and an advanced management platform. Bosch security products were specifically chosen, including the Videojet 8008 and VIP-X transmission codec’s, Networked Video Recording (NVR), RAID storage, and VIDOS management.

The entire CCTV system is highly integrated into the station’s other management systems, including; intruder systems, electronic access control, station management and help points.

ControlWare Communications have also ensured that video from the surveillance system can be monitored from multiple locations, allowing control and monitoring functions to be managed from other locations on the network in the event of an emergency or network failure.

While undoubtedly larger projects exist, the challenges of monitoring what is expected to becomes one of Europe’s busiest travel interchanges using IP CCTV technology, represents a further technological step into utilising advanced network technology to provide comprehensive monitoring solutions.

The big test, though, comes on 14 November 2007, when high-speed connections from London to Paris and Brussels officially open, with an estimated 50 million passengers passing through in the first year of opening.