From platform edges to maintenance depots, rail networks are high-pressure environments with complex safety challenges. In this blog, Synectics explains how infrastructure operators and service providers can use AI-powered video analytics tools to mitigate risk in real time – improving safety for passengers and workers and enhancing overall operational efficiency.
Detect PPE non-compliance
Track maintenance teams work in high-risk environments where compliance with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements is essential. PPE Detection tools use AI to monitor live video feeds, automatically triggering alerts if workers appear without hard hats or high-visibility clothing.
This is particularly valuable when teams operate near heavy machinery or during time-sensitive engineering works. With instant alerts, control room teams can immediately respond to unsafe situations before they escalate.
Between April 2023 and May 2024¹, 4,456 specified workforce injuries occurred across the UK rail network. AI is a vital tool for helping the industry reduce this figure.
Monitor and protect lone workers
Rail maintenance often involves personnel working in remote or isolated locations. Fall Detection can work as a silent guardian, automatically recognising when a person collapses or remains motionless, and notifying response teams to investigate.
This tool provides vital reassurance for lone workers and helps operators fulfil their duty-of-care obligations, even in challenging or hard-to-reach environments.
Identify early-warning signs
Railway stations and crossings are hotspots for safety-critical incidents. AI tools like Hazardous Area Detection, Loitering Detection and Stopped Object Detection help pre-empt risks by identifying potentially dangerous or unusual behaviour patterns. With these analytical capabilities, operators can:
- Detect people or vehicles in designated danger zones, like track areas or platform edges.
- Identify loitering in sensitive areas such as bridges and over-track walkways.
- Alert teams to stopped vehicles at level crossings, helping prevent serious collisions.
In 2023, more than half of fatalities from railway accidents in the EU involved unauthorised people on the tracks (58.4%), and more than one-quarter occurred at level crossings (26.6%)².
Respond to security threats
Depots and rail facilities are frequent targets of intrusion, theft, and vandalism.
Intrusion Detection tools use AI to detect, classify, and track unauthorised persons or vehicles in restricted areas, triggering alerts for security teams to respond rapidly.
With copper theft causing millions in damage each year and increasing service disruption, tools like this offer essential early-warning capabilities. Alerts can be customised based on risk level, location, and time of day to avoid false alarms while maximising protection.
Manage crowding and vehicle flow in real time
AI doesn’t just help on the tracks, it extends to car parks, station concourses, and ticketing zones. Traffic Counting and Crowd Detection tools provide real-time visibility into how people and vehicles move through specific areas. For example:
- Detecting when a car park is nearing capacity.
- Tracking pedestrian flow in station halls or platforms.
- Alerting staff when crowd thresholds are exceeded – flagging potential medical emergencies, altercations, or the need for additional passenger assistance.
These insights improve safety and help operators allocate staff and services more effectively.
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