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A comment on Polish railway system hacked, trains forced to stop by attackers. Parent comment

Re:Polish railway system hacked, trains forced to stop by at... by jacquesm on Monday August 28, 2023 @06:47AM (#37292172)
> And tbh, I just can’t see which sort of emergency can happen inside the train that would require an immediate full stop.

Trains are multiple vehicles that are somewhat loosely connected. A train segment could be detached from the rest of the train.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/amtrak-cars-separate-boston-bound-...

And other mechanical issues with the train besides (for instance: the train being on fire).

The fact that you can't think of something doesn't mean that you have done an exhaustive search.

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Re:Polish railway system hacked, trains forced to stop by at... by alphager on Monday August 28, 2023 @07:21AM (#37292388)
In case of a detachment, the train will automatically perform an emergency brake (without the possibility of manual intervention by the conductor).

Trains are fail-safe. They only run because the brakes are held open by a pressured air system running along the whole train. In case of a detachment, the hose connecting the wagons would break, releasing the air pressure and thus slamming the brakes down.

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Re:Polish railway system hacked, trains forced to stop by at... by jacquesm on Monday August 28, 2023 @07:29AM (#37292452)
Fair enough, that's a thing I actually knew so I should have not used that example. But a runaway would have much the same effect.
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