Platforms safety to be improved with AI
TfL has announced that it is “prioritising work” on new artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve safety on station platforms. The experimental technology has been trialled at DLR platforms at Custom House station in the east of London. Similar systems had been previously tested at Wilsden Green Underground station.
At Custom House, footage from security cameras is reviewed by an AI program to identify objects on the rails, ignoring the movements of the train.
London mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, has said that this technology will improve safety for passengers on the train and platform edge. It comes after rail safety investigators revealed that a man who died on the tube had been run over by four Jubilee line trains.
TfL hopes to explore other potential locations on the network for further trials. These, TfL hopes, will be in place in the latter half of the year.
Wilsden Green was the site of a wide-ranging AI trial in 2022 and 2023 to detect potential fair dodging, as well as whether weapons are being brought onto the station, and if people are standing too near the edge of the platform.
“Safety is always TfL’s priority,” the mayor said, adding that “each injury is one too many”.
“TfL’s plan to address platform-train incidents sets out specific and targeted actions to keep customers safe, quickly alert staff when incidents do happen, and respond promptly to minimise their impact.”
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