Northern has started to use artificial intelligence (AI) to count the number of passengers on some of its services.
The operator has deployed an Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) algorithm, which is understood to be over 98% accurate following testing.
The work was partly funded by Rail North Partnership and was carried out at Allerton TrainCare Centre in Merseyside.
15 specialist engineers from Northern, alongside staff from technology partners Icomera and DG8, installed 88 cameras and eight computers, using five kilometres of cables.
The algorithm will be applied to software on Northern’s fleet of eight Class 769 trains, which operate between Liverpool, Manchester, Southport, Wigan and Blackpool.
Jack Commandeur, engineering director at Northern, said:
“More than 90 million people step on board one of our trains every year and our fleet of Class 769 trains will now give us more accurate data on passenger volumes than we’ve ever had before.”
“This joint collaboration with Icomera and DG8 will help us to improve the overall efficiency of our operations and can inform future service planning.”
The work was part of Northern’s new “Plan Led Approach” to engineering, and was carried out alongside heater upgrades and WiFi and CCTV improvements.
Northern is the second-largest train operator in the UK, with 2500 services a day to over 500 stations.
Image credit: Northern
