SMRT Corporation has implemented an artificial intelligence (AI)-based video system to watch out for people falling onto the train tracks on the Bukit Panjang light rail transit (BPLRT) system in Singapore.
iSafe, developed in partnership with Singapore Land Transport Authority, is among the latest efforts to improve passenger safety by SMRT.
iSafe was initiated in May 2022 and involved the installation of equipment such as additional cameras, network equipment, and servers. The project was completed in June 2023 – two months ahead of the original project timeline.
It uses video analytics and cameras to provide BPLRT’s Operations Control Centre (OCC) with real-time detection alerts of track intrusions.
The system will monitor and initiate a warning when commuters step onto the track or stand close to the station platform. It will also offer timely response and intervention to safety-related situations and incidents.
SMRT's President, Lam Sheau Kai, said that currently, all platforms at BPLRT stations have prominent warning signs and announcements to remind commuters of the danger of track intrusion.
"iSafe offers an additional layer of a holistic system to enhance commuter safety on the BPLRT, as its stations have fixed barriers instead of platform screen doors," he added.
According to SMRT, iSafe is now 99.8 per cent accurate in detecting track intrusions. It has picked up one track intrusion since its installation.
SMRT had also recently launched a new iSecurity system at MRT stations. This system uses virtual assistants and digital twin technologies to provide continuous surveillance of incidents.
