Railways Going Tech Savvy

An Interaction with the dynamic and responsive Quaiser Khalid (IPS), Commissioner of Police, Railways, Mumbai by our Editor, Chandragupta Amritkar.

Safety and security of passengers has always been a priority area for Indian Railways and taking a lead is the Mumbai Railway Commissionerate by using efficient use of technology. Mumbai Railway Commissionerate covers the entire Railway Network starting from Gujarat border on Western Railways to Mumbai and from CSMT to Kasara and Khopoli stations on the Central Railway Network and from CSMT to Roha on the Harbour Railway Network. The commuter population using this network is estimated to be between 70-80 Lakhs.

With such a huge area under their purview and add to that managing an estimated 80 lakh commuters technology is playing a vital role. “We Mumbai Railway Police which comes under state government and the RPF (Railway Protection Force) that comes under central government are committed to the maintenance of safety, security, peace and order, prevention and detection of offences in our jurisdiction. While its difficult to increase the manpower we find use of technology to solve select problems. The use of modern technology is for strengthening railway security,” said Quaiser Khalid.

With millions of passengers commuting on long-distance routes and local train networks train stations are a heaven for criminals including human trafficking and terrorism. This is where Facial recognition technology can play a pivotal role. The Mumbai Railway Police are in the process of beefing up security at railway stations through the use of facial recognition technology backed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). With increase in runover deaths they are also installing front-view cameras on the engines of local trains to identify possible reasons for these deaths.

“Railways and stations are unique venues for crimes. We have different challenges from city police. Do you know at any given minute minimum 1500 commuters arrive or depart? The vegetable and fruit vendors start their journeys right from 3.30 am. Crowd management is important and technology is the saviour. We are incorporating a number of technology initiatives across our jurisdiction. The CCTV network is being upgraded; this will include cameras with video analytics at selected locations. The facial recognition tech at railway stations will help us to identify criminals,” said Quaiser Khalid.

The plan is to link the facial recognition system (FRS) with existing databases such as the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) to identify criminals at railway stations. Globally FRS is widely adopted, mainly as it’s a contactless non-invasive process. Using AI commuters wearing unobtrusive gear during rush hour can be easily identified. Analytics will help in crime detection, track missing persons and estimate passenger traffic at any time.

Passenger safety is a major policing initiative. The force has developed a software-based manpower management system for optimal utilisation of resources. “We have also introduced a 24-hour operational toll-free helpline 1512 for assisting commuters. As commuters do not have the time to deboard a train and lodge complaints, we try to ensure help is available to the passenger in the next station. There are 30 lines so instant connection with our team is always possible. Also security of Female passengers has been upgraded as we are now deploying policemen in ladies’ compartments during night hours,” said Quaiser Khalid.

The Mumbai Railway Commissionerate is also creating four new police stations. Panvel will soon become a big terminus. Also they are planning to upgrade the infrastructure at CSTM (without damaging the heritage side), Dadar, Panvel and Kalyan.

The department is also constantly upgrading staff capabilities through training sessions and briefings. “We have a dedicated room for these events and have started regular weekend training,” said Quaiser Khalid.

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