All Aboard the AI Express: UK Public Transport Gets a 21st Century Makeover
- By CDOTrends editors
- July 24, 2024
Transport authorities operating bus and rail networks in the U.K. are rolling out artificial intelligence projects to enhance safety and efficiency.
A 12-month Network Rail pilot project on the railways will automate the detection of potential hazards such as overhanging trees, leaves and subsidence along routes.
Network Rail, LNER, CrossTech and Hitachi Rail are joining forces to trial digital asset and artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring technology to observe the natural environment and track, including vegetation and embankments.
The new forward-facing CCTV camera (FFCCTV) has been installed inside the driver’s cabin of an LNER Azuma train for the 12-month trial, using AI camera sensor technology.
Monitoring areas in real-time further enhances safety, helping detect potential hazards like overhanging or invasive tree species, leaves on the track, or embankment subsidence that could cause harm or delays.
Network Rail previously estimated that vegetation-related incidents cost up to GBP3m annually in the Southern region alone.
Automating the detection of potential hazards and pinpointing where maintenance is necessary enables a proactive approach to infrastructure maintenance.
The trial will also provide insights and guidance to optimize when and where maintenance is needed on the East Coast Main Line.
Hitachi Rail is helping to convene the pilot project using its digital supplier CrossTech, whose solution uses computer vision technology to live monitor tracks and the surrounding environment via data directly from the forward-facing video camera.
The FFCCTV monitoring solution was developed by combining CrossTech technology with Hitachi Rail’s digital expertise to assist with integration, operations and customer interface.
On the buses, meanwhile, the transport authority Greater Manchester is using AI to deliver more reliable, frequent and quicker bus journeys.
Greater Manchester is partnering with CitySwift and using their performance optimization platform. This platform gives operators and transport authorities insights, recommendations, and predictions based on AI analytics.
The implementation is part of the Greater Manchester Bus Strategy announced last year, which sets an initial target of a 30% increase in bus patronage by 2030 from 2023 levels, equating to nearly 50 million additional bus journeys annually.
Image credit: iStockphoto/Sterling750
