Metro de Madrid

The CSSS project is being financed since 2008 by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, more specifically by the Advanced R+D Sub-Program for Strategic Telecommunications and Information Society Actions (project nº TSI-020100-2009-411).

The object of the project is to increase the real level of security of the Metro de Madrid network by combining various lines of action designed to coordinate security system services. In doing so, the quality of life and wellbeing of the users of this mode of transport will be improved through the development and application of information technology. The activities included in the project were completed at the end of 2010.

In order to manage security incidents more efficiently, which will in turn have a positive impact on service, six new security posts called Line Security Posts will be created, distributed throughout the Metro de Madrid network. From these positions, it will be possible to display real time images from the cameras installed in the metro stations and trains. Security alarms will also be received by these positions, which will also monitor the rounds of the security guards who patrol the Metro de Madrid so that their whereabouts are known at all times.

Focusing on the aspects of R+D and innovation, the security system that will be implemented with this project will make it possible for the conductors of the trains to view images of the areas where passengers are located and for the Central Security Command Post, Security Management and Line Security Posts to have access to both recorded and real time images of the trains. All of this will lead to an improvement in the quality of service provided, user safety and incident control.

In addition, thanks to the possibility of instantaneously viewing the facilities and to the development and implementation of a self-diagnostic platform which will provide status reports on the trains? equipment and malfunctions to the Maintenance Post on the ground, a much more efficient maintenance protocol has been established which is intended to improve the availability of the security system and to reduce the time that is needed to detect and repair malfunctions.

Improvements are also being made to the efficient maintenance of other Metro installations and systems. For example, on-board systems with self-diagnostics (e.g., ATP) can report their incidents to the ground, thus saving time and money. Of course, this is also applicable to station and line equipment.

With the integration and extension of the IP/ATM and Gigabit multiservice network supervision platform, unique information will be available to Metro de Madrid?s maintenance personnel and CSSS personnel which will expedite the decision-making process. This information will make it possible to locate trains (management of next/last platform), determine the relative position to the platform and improve broadband communication. These technological developments have made it possible for the train conductor to have automatic access to the images from the platform cameras before and after the train enters and exists the station.

What all of this means is that in the event of an incident at the station (someone falling onto the tracks or people too close to the edge of the platform), the conductor can act accordingly, stopping the train to avoid an accident. This has a direct impact on the end users of the service by avoiding possible delays, line closures, etc. as a consequence of incidents that go undetected. In short, the achievement of all of the objectives pursued by this initiative will constitute a quantum leap in overseeing the security and reliability of the Madrid Metro network.