Facial recognition and AI monitoring deployed in India’s largest railway network

India’s rail networks are adding AI and facial recognition systems to their stations, part of a growing biometrics and surveillance market experts predict will be worth more than US$15 billion within the next five years.

A release from IDIS Global says the South Korean video surveillance manufacturer is providing Indian Railways, Asia’s largest rail network, with a 4K camera system equipped with integrated AI video analytics and facial recognition technology from Herta Security. The first phase of a major technology update for the rail system saw cameras placed across hundreds of platforms in 230 high-traffic stations across the country’s eastern region in May 2024.

Herta Security’s facial recognition algorithms provide real-time identification and alerts to persons-of-interest. IDIS’s configurable deep learning analytics system analyzes motion, loitering, abandoned object detection and line crossing. With a monitoring center installed at every fifth station along the network, railway authorities have a connected ecosystem of command and control hubs through which to monitor, analyze data and respond to crisis events.

Moreover, the system’s video management platform offers mobile surveillance through the IDIS Mobile Plus app, wherein image and video captured from smartphones can be fed into the system.

“Indian Railways wanted the most flexible, robust, future-proof video surveillance solution to provide a secure foundation for growth and development plans,” says Rahat Jain, managing director of IDIS Securitatem Solutiones Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between IDIS and Indian systems integrator M2M Cybernetics. “With IDIS video, the Railway Protection Force now have full confidence that they are operating 230 of the safest and most secure stations, resulting in two more regions being identified for upgrade.”

Indian Railways 14,000 trains carry an estimated 9.5 million passengers daily. The network expects to handle up 40 percent of global rail activity by 2050.

Railway lines in Delhi are also acting on AI. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has plans to deploy AI as part of an initiative to improve efficiency and crowd management, according to a report in the Economic Times. DMCR Managing Director Vikas Kumar says AI for driverless trains is part of the plan, along with amped up facial recognition and CCTV camera surveillance.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  Herta Security  |  IDIS Global  |  India  |  transportation  |  video surveillance