In order to use human resources more efficiently, the railway companies need new innovative means. Therefore, Transport for Wales Rail Services (TfW Rail) has started to use intelligent video cameras for monitoring tracks across its network. With their help, the Welsh operator is able to maintain the railways proactively without engaging many workers on the sites.

TfW Rail has equipped its trains with the Automated Intelligent Video Review system (AIVR), a solution based on video monitoring. The intelligent cameras are installed inside the driver’s cabs on the widescreen in order to automatically record the videos during the train travelling. They instantly transmit the received data to the cloud using the 4G network. The videos from the train’s cameras can be reviewed and shared with infrastructure manager Network Rail and the railway contractors.

Leap forward

“This technology is a huge leap forward for us and will allow us to work closely with our partners in Network Rail to deal with challenges as they emerge,” TfW Rail’s seasonal planning manager Rick Fisher noted. According to him, the video cameras could assist railways in monitoring vegetation along the tracks especially trees and leaves that could block the train traffic. The films produced by the AIVR system are able to warn the maintenance team to remove some branches or trees in order to prevent the disruptions.

One Big Circle

TfW Rail is the first train operator in the United Kingdom to use the AIVR system. The latter was developed by Bristol-based software and engineering company One Big Circle. It is focused on the development of intelligent video solutions. The company has more than 30 years of experience in video systems, integration and analytics. One Big Circle has been working with a range of industries including the sports sector. Its video solutions monitor the playing fields.

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