Researchers seek railway hazard warnings

TEL AVIV, Israel, July 27 (UPI) -- Israeli researchers say they are developing an early warning hazard system to protect the world's railways from accidents and even terrorist actions.

Tel Aviv University scientists are collecting high-tech sensing data from satellites, airplanes, ground sensors and unmanned aircraft to devise a solution to provide a reliable early warning system for train operators, a university release said Monday.

The research aims to connect several technologies so train accidents caused by avalanches, earthquakes and even terrorist sabotage can be avoided, Prof. Lev V. Eppelbaum of the school's Department of Geophysics & Planetary Sciences said.

"Sinkholes, avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, flash floods -- these disasters can cause train wrecks anywhere around the world," says Eppelbaum. "We are hoping to develop a platform that can be fitted to any railway, passenger or freight carrier, to better predict natural disasters and possible terror attacks on rail lines."

At present, there is no worldwide monitoring system for either natural disasters or terror attacks on rail systems, Eppelbaum said.

The Tel Aviv research is one part of a European project that includes participants from Israel, Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Romania.

"We are creating a new interpretation system allowing us to integrate cutting-edge technologies from across Europe," he said.