Vital link for Olympic security

The Greek Railroad Organisation (GRO) has installed hands-free WayPhone emergency telephones in time for the 2004 Olympic Games.

The tamper-resistant, handsfree WayPhones have been installed on the new suburban railway that links the international airport at Spata with the Olympic Village at Menidi, as well as the new line from Menidi to Athens.

WayPhones use unique Voice Clarity Enhancement technology to enable the caller and operator in the emergency communication control room to hear and be heard even in the noisiest environments.

Athletes, spectators and railway staff can use the emergency phone system to report safety issues or accidents even when a train is passing by in close proximity and there are hundreds of people on the platform.

The units are resistant to tampering and vandalism and use a PC-based WayPhone Tester for remote diagnostics, making them much more reliable than traditional security phone systems. The software automatically dials each WayPhone at a scheduled time and reports the status of the network to the maintenance engineer.

Nickos Stamatiadis, Managing Director of SafeNet, said the Clearsonics solution was selected because it is more cost effective and flexible than competitive systems. "The railway is an essential transport project for the Olympic Games, while the WayPhones form part of intensive security preparations," Mr Stamatiadis said.

The WayPhones incorporate dual lines to ensure backup if one telephone system fails, and are integrated with a Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) relay. This is the first of several Greek projects for Clearsonics, which has also won the bid to install its emergency telephone system throughout the Athens international airport terminal .