Live video feeds from all train stations in the Mysuru department are monitored 24/7 by Mysuru RPF. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
In a major step towards enhancing passenger safety and communication, Southwestern Railway’s Mysulu Division has deployed advanced security measures incorporating facial recognition and video analysis (VA) systems to provide alerts to actual time bases.
The technology leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to detect the presence of criminals as it is networked with existing databases and police records.
Therefore, movements of people with pre-indictment at train stations will immediately bring pop-ups on the screen of controls, warning security personnel about their presence.
D. Sreenivasulu is the Deputy Chief Signal and Communications Engineer of Bengaluru, who oversees the implementation of the project across the South West Railway (SWR), who told Hindi that this is part of a gradual development of converged communications.
Under the initiative, CCTV cameras have been installed in eight stations and on February 23, he added that a new integrated command control centre (ICCC) and divisional network operations centre were successfully commissioned at Mysuru Division. Separately, modern digital communications systems at 34 stations in the Mysuru department were also commissioned by an Internet protocol-based train control system.
Department Railway Manager Shilpi Agarwal said that the converged communications system of all stations is expected to be fully operational across the Mysuru division by April this year, with all 72 stations expected to be covered.
At Mysuru, there is a dedicated room established for it, resident by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) 24/7, with all station feeds visible, she added.
Sreenivasulu said that the entire SWR is expected to be covered by the Advanced Security System by June 2025.
Video analytics systems use AI to detect suspicious activity, unmanned luggage, and crowd movement patterns, and automate threat detection, reducing manual surveillance efforts and improving response times.
The integrated command control system acts as a central hub for monitoring railway surveillance, integrating feed from multiple stations, providing real-time alerts, and providing seamless coordination with security agencies to enhance railway safety.
The project envisages the installation of a video surveillance system at 228 stations on the SWR, with 2,784 cameras. There is a video wall for real-time surveillance at the Department and Zone Headquarters, and the system provides 30 days of primary storage and 15 days of backup storage.
Authorities say the project is a bandwidth-focused, which requires infrastructure overhauling and new systems to be installed.
The project will soon cover the entire Indian railway network, and the authorities said that the CCTV data from the railway station should be integrated with national intelligence reporting established to share data and information between various intelligence reporting agencies in the country.
Going forward, this will not only enhance the security of the railway, but will also strengthen coordination between the Indian Railways, RPF, the state police and intelligence reporting agencies, and will help prevent crime.
Published – February 24, 2025 07:41 PM IST
