Do Natural Magnetic Fields Disturb Railway Telemetry?

Intense geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) can hamper rail traffic by disturbing signaling and train control systems. Objective of this report is to study possible influence of geomagnetic conditions on mid-latitude railway and to perform a statistical study in addition to previous case studies. In this work we analyze 3916 false operations (anomalies) of automatic signaling and train control equipment, occurred in 2004 on the mid-latitude East Siberian Railway (latitudes: 51-56 N; longitudes: 96-114 E). Our results revealed links between geomagnetic disturbances and anomalies in the operation of railway automatics and telemetry.