Wayside
Wayside refers to fixed railway installations along the track, such as interlockings, level crossings, track circuits, points, signals and the networks connecting them, as distinct from rolling stock (onboard) systems. Wayside and onboard are the two deployment domains of rail OT security.
How it works
Wayside systems include the signaling and control equipment installed in equipment rooms, relay huts and along the line: interlockings, object controllers, axle counters and track circuits, level-crossing controllers, radio block centres, and the telecom networks that connect them to control centres. They are typically operated by the infrastructure manager rather than the train operator.
Modern wayside architectures are increasingly IP-based, with standardized interfaces such as EULYNX linking interlockings to field elements over shared networks.
Why it matters for security
Wayside equipment is geographically distributed, physically accessible at thousands of remote locations, and often long-lived, so it tends to carry legacy components alongside new IP connectivity. Monitoring wayside networks for unauthorized devices and abnormal traffic is a foundational rail OT security control.
Related solution
Operating rail infrastructure at network scale
Signaling, power, communications and control centers protected across network-wide environments.
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