Zurich main railway station: A typology of public CCTV systems

Abstract

Railway stations have become places between ‘public’ and ‘private’. In this exploratory case study, we are looking at the CCTV system at the Zurich main station, the largest railway station in Switzerland. This railway station is used by train passengers, by customers frequenting the station's shopping area, and by persons trespassing in the station. Looking at different types of CCTV systems, we examine the motivations that have been leading to the installation of the cameras, about their functionality and their effects on passengers and customers. Based on our observations, we are going to present a typology of different uses of CCTV systems: (1) access control, (2) conduct control, (3) registering evidence, (4) flow control and the planning of deployment. As a conclusion, we will have a look at some future trends in the use of CCTV in railway stations, focussing on (a) individualization, (b) automation, and (c) commodification. In the last part of our presentation, we are going to ask about the limits of the spreading of CCTV systems in railway stations, focussing on the efficiency on one hand and on several possibilities for opposition on the other hand.