Western Railway to fit nearly 6,000 AI-based cameras on 978 engines: ‘Will give useful info in emergencies, enhance safety'
Western Railway (WR) is planning to install artificial intelligence (AI)-based cameras on 978 of its freight and passenger engines soon. With an estimated cost of around Rs 100 crore, the cameras will be installed to monitor activity both in and around the engines, across all regions, including Mumbai.
'The AI cameras will enable track condition monitoring, railway crossing observation and activity around the engine. Through monitoring irregular movement on tracks, these cameras will assist in determining the factors behind accidents and further improve the capability to analyse incidents,' Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway, said.
The cameras will be installed on 810 electric and 168 diesel engines in WR's fleet. There will be six CCTV cameras installed on each engine – one in each of the two driving cabs, four along all directions outside the engine, and an additional camera scanning the periphery, WR officials said. These will be 360-degree recording cameras that track movement and assist in the investigation of accidents.
The CCTV cameras will be high definition and high resolution, making sure that important information like track conditions, signals and surrounding obstacles are well captured. The systems will be in offline mode, making sure that data will not be accessed or hacked in to. 'This installation will be used to yield useful information in the event of emergencies, which will assist in investigations and enhance general safety,' added Abhishek.
The installation process will begin through a tender process, with emphasis on agencies capable of furnishing their own software, hardware and source code. The installation is supposed to end by March 2026.
Through the surveillance of both the exterior and interior of trains, the railway is looking to improve surveillance, accountability, and safety measures in its operations.
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