Transport for Wales has partnered with One Big Circle Ltd to fit smart cameras on trains to automatically record, analyse, and report risks posed by vegetation on the Wales and Borders routes, to help create a more efficient vegetation monitoring scheme.
This application is the first time technology has been used in this way in the rail industry.
The Automated Intelligent Video Review System (AIVR) is a lightweight, portable, train-borne device that sits inside the windscreen of the train cab and automatically captures video, locational, and telemetry data as the train travels the network. The captured data is uploaded in rapid time via 4G to the cloud, and is accessible securely online by end users.
AIVR was used by TfW to map the whole of the Wales rail network in less than four weeks. Workers have been using the forward facing video data to highlight and prioritise areas of vegetation on the rail network that pose a risk to train operations. The ability to conduct lineside site surveying remotely greatly improves the safety of track workers, reducing boots on ballast. Additionally, AIVR allows for safe planning of site works in a targeted location, increasing the efficiency of maintenance operations.
Further works with TfW include the development of a machine learning model to automate the detection of vegetation risks. The model is being trained on the data captured across the Wales rail network and aims to further improve the scheduling and efficiency of track works.