Ports & Transportation Otopeni Airport Railway Terminal

Compania Naţională de Căi Ferate “CFR” - SA, the state railway carrier of Romania, has invested in an integrated security and safety solution from Johnson Controls, to protect passengers travelling on a new railway link from Otopeni Henri Coandă International Airport to Bucharest Nord main railway station. Alfred Net, a systems integrator which specialises in designing and implementing turn-key security, telecommunication and network solutions, provided the new railway terminal’s safety and security systems, as well as the passenger communications and information systems.   

“With the new link terminating within the airport, we immediately realised that any security and safety solution that we recommended would need to meet the demanding requirements of airport security, as well as railway related EU regulations and directives. With this in mind, our previous experience led us to recommend that all the security and safety products should be single sourced from the Johnson Controls’ access control, fire, intrusion and video surveillance brands. We were confident that the various security products, which to a large extent are ‘plug & play’, could be easily integrated without the time consuming process of developing new drivers and interfaces”.

Alex Vladutoiu, Managing Director & Solutions Architect at Alfred Net.

CEM Systems AC2000 access control system was chosen, along with Illustra IP cameras, VideoEdge NVR's and the DSC PowerSeries Neo intrusion system - all integrated via the victor unified platform for central monitoring and control.  

The Solution 
The Alfred Net design team specified that the Johnson Controls victor security management platform should be at the heart of the safety and security solution. In addition to helping control room operators manage and monitor the images captured by Illustra high-definition IP network cameras, victor’s graphical user interface (GUI) alerts operators in real-time as to any fire or intrusion events, as well as any access control activity.  By providing a unified solution which can manage the combined data captured by the intrusion detection, access control, fire detection and video surveillance systems, victor offers authorised users with all the information they need to monitor and strictly control the movement of passengers.

Video Surveillance & AI Analytics: In addition to the Johnson Controls Illustra cameras and VideoEdge video recorders, which have been deployed to monitor the railway terminal proximity, mission critical machinery, platforms and areas open to the public, control room operators are also able to take advantage of video analytics to help them quickly detect any suspicious activity or danger. Tripwire detection, for example, can generate an alert if a passenger oversteps a platform’s safety line, whilst people counting analytics can alert security personnel to overcrowding. 

Access Control
CEM Systems AC2000 access control software platform, together with CEM eDCM 350 OSDP protocol IP door controllers, support smart card readers and encrypted cards to limit access to sensitive areas throughout the railway, such as communications, signalling, staff and locker rooms. As a highly scalable solution, AC2000 enabled Alfred Net to implement access control throughout expansive areas of the railway. By utilising RS485 serial communications with strong AES 128 encryption between the eDCM 350 intelligent door controllers, the OSDP readers and the smart cards, the railway is protected against the threat of controller signal cloning, as well as the threat of personnel card cloning.

Fire Detection: Zettler Profile Flexible addressable panels, flame detectors and smoke sensors have been installed throughout the station terminal to ensure mandatory compliance with EU fire regulations. Integration with the station’s PAVA system means that pre-recorded announcements are automatically broadcast when a fire related event occurs.
 
Intrusion: The DSC PowerSeries Neo intrusion system provides protection for areas which may be left unattended, such as cash handling areas with integrated panic buttons ensuring there is a rapid reaction to any intrusion alarm.

Since December 2020 when the new link became operational, the highly complex and integrated security and safety solution from Johnson Controls has been playing a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of the train station and the running of 72 trains per day, (36 pairs), which arrive and depart every 20 minutes from and to the airport.

“As a solution architect, Johnson Controls is my preferred security provider for integrated projects. As a unified solution the suite of  security products are almost ‘plug and play’ and give you everything you need to build up an integrated system without spending additional time or money on developing other interfaces. We were delighted to have designed and implemented the new Otopeni Airport Railway Terminal project in less than one year and we look forward to our continued partnership with Johnson Controls”. Alex Vladutoiu, Managing Director & Solutions Architect at Alfred Net.