Western Railway plans AI-based crowd management at Udhna station for festive rush

Surat: Western Railway is set to deploy advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology at Udhna railway station to manage the heavy passenger rush towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during Diwali and Chhath Puja.

Udhna station witnesses severe crowding during the festive season every year, making the management of passenger queues, holding areas and train operations a major challenge for railway authorities. This year, however, the railway plans to rely on real-time crowd data rather than estimates to manage the rush.

Live feeds from CCTV cameras installed across the station premises, platforms and waiting areas will be connected to an AI server. The system will not only count passengers but also track crowd movement, identify platforms witnessing a surge and map areas where congestion is building up in real time.

The AI system will scan CCTV footage frame by frame to identify and analyse passenger movements. An object-tracking algorithm will ensure that the same person is not counted more than once. The system will provide real-time data on the number of passengers entering and leaving the station and identify specific locations where bottlenecks are developing.

Red alert to trigger immediate action

If passenger numbers on a particular train or route cross a predetermined capacity, an automated alert will be sent to the control room. This will allow railway officials to take immediate action instead of waiting for the situation to worsen.

Based on early indications of a crowd build-up, authorities could consider measures such as attaching additional coaches or operating special trains. The system will also help railway officials plan security arrangements and platform allocation based on the actual number of passengers present at the station, rather than relying solely on ticket sales. DeshGujarat