A modern train carries cameras in every car and in the cab, all recording to onboard video recorders. Operators need two things from that video: a live view when something happens, and the full recordings for investigations and evidence. Both depend on a reliable train-to-ground link.
Two different jobs
Live viewing sends a few selected streams continuously while the train is moving, so the control centre can respond to an incident as it happens. Bulk offload moves hours of recordings from every camera, which is far more data, and usually happens where the train stops for long enough: at a terminus, a stabling yard or a depot. A well-designed network handles both.
Live video along the route
Trackside Anywhere nodes form a self-healing mesh along the corridor, and nodes on the train connect to them as it passes. Dual radios give make-before-break handover, typically within 5 ms, so live streams stay up between trackside nodes. Each train can carry up to 700 Mbps at 80 MHz, and front and rear mobile nodes together can provide 1 Gbps or more.
Bulk offload at stations and depots
Fixed nodes covering a stabling yard or depot connect to each train automatically as it arrives. Many trains can transfer at the same time, with traffic balanced across paths and drop-off points, and the connection holds while trains are moved or prepared for service.
Sizing the offload
Daily video per train is cameras × bitrate in Mbps × recording hours × 3,600 ÷ 8,000, in gigabytes. As an example, a train with 16 cameras recording at 2 Mbps for 18 hours produces about 260 GB a day. Even at a sustained 700 Mbps, moving that takes around 50 minutes, so plan offload around how long trains actually stay in the yard, and use a lower figure than the peak rate when you do.
Why not use cellular
Public 4G and 5G networks charge for every gigabyte, share their bandwidth with the public, and often have weak coverage in tunnels. Video upload is the weak direction on mobile networks. At the volumes a fleet of trains produces, an operator-owned wireless network gives more predictable capacity and no data charges.
Security of the video
Onboard footage is often evidence. Anywhere networks use AES-128 on the wireless link and AES-256 end to end, so recordings stay encrypted between the train and the central storage.
Equipment on the train
The AX52e meets the rolling-stock standards EN 50121-3-2, EN 50155, EN 61373 and EN 45545-2. It is rated IP67, operates from -35°C to 65°C, and is the same node used at the trackside.
In service
On the Danyang Monorail in South Korea, mesh mobility nodes on the cabins and along the route carry live IP camera video from the moving cabins. In Hong Kong, the MTR uses Anywhere wireless mesh to carry CCTV at railway stations.