Artificial intelligence is being used to check for rail infrastructure problems in real-time on the East Coast main line.
A forward-facing CCTV camera has been put into the driver’s cab of the LNER Azuma train allowing hundreds of miles of track to be scanned.
The 12-month pilot is being run by LNER, Network Rail, Hitachi Rail and CrossTech.
The footage will be scanned, with AI looking for potential problems like damage, overhanging trees, obstacles on the track, and subsidence. Any issues will be reported to the Network Rail maintenance teams.
Network Rail route engineer Johanna Priestley said: “Using forward-facing footage allows us to ‘see’ from the driver’s perspective.
“We can use this technology to understand where vegetation is encroaching on the operational railway and at risk of making contact with either trains or fixed infrastructure such as overhead electrified wires.
“We can also identify where vegetation growth has compromised the driver’s view, such as on the approach to signals or level crossings. This initiative will allow us to make passengers’ journeys more reliable and help minimise the risk of infrastructure-related disruption on the network.”
Better decisions
Hitachi Rail senior director sales UK and Ireland Nick Hughes said the tech had the potential to, “reduce disruption and support more convenient journeys for passengers”.
He added: “Forward-facing CCTV is the latest in a series of digital asset monitoring solutions that together have the potential to revolutionise real-time data collection and visualisation by trains running across the UK, generating valuable insights that drive better decisions.”
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