A chain , cable, or wire comes loose on a car and goodbye panels and like all of them …

where are you from and when have you last seen a train?

They could pair that with sensors / cameras for hanging things. These are already being produced and installed on tracks.

I don’t why they don’t overhang them on frames. It’d cost more upfront, but hell alot cheaper than replacing the broken panels all the time.

If a chain, cable, or wire comes loose on a car then the panels are the least of anyone’s worries. Also expect emergency brakes to kick in automatically. This is a train, not a bicycle.

If that happens you got bigger things to worry about. When did you last see a train dragging along debris?