Artificial intelligence firm Purple Transform has been awarded funding from Innovate UK to help improve safety on the country’s rail network.
Purple Transform will develop and trial AI models that monitor level crossings and reduce the number of safety incidents.
The project – ‘Levelling Up Crossings’ – will receive support from Innovate UK’s ‘AI Solutions to Improve Productivity in Key Sectors ’ competition, as one of the ground-breaking projects boosting UK safety, productivity and public services through AI.
The project will leverage Purple Transform’s proprietary intelligent platform, SiYtE, to scan CCTV footage in real-time, alerting personnel if the AI model detects dangerous or unexpected behaviour. Integrating with legacy cameras, it represents a cost-effective approach to boosting safety.
With nearly 6,000 along the UK railway network – many of which are unmanned – level crossings pose a serious threat to individual safety. Between April 2022 and March 2023, there were five fatalities at mainline level crossings, while there were 298 near miss incidents involving pedestrians at level crossings from April to October 2023 – a 31% increase on the previous year.
Purple Transform’s technology is designed to support oversight of level crossings and flag potential incidents before they develop. Not only does this have the potential to reduce the number of safety incidents, it should also help deliver an uninterrupted rail service, saving costly financial penalties for rail operators.
By training its AI model to differentiate between typical and abnormal behaviour, Purple Transform’s technology makes it possible to detect objects or debris blocking crossings, people loitering or trespassing, or even children playing on or close to the tracks.
Once a potential incident is identified, Purple Transform’s SiYtE-powered technology can automatically issue alerts to designated personnel, who can swiftly respond to investigate or deescalate the situation. These could be railway employees, the emergency services, train drivers, or guards.
“Level crossings are a major safety concern for the entire rail industry; not only do they represent a serious risk to the public, they are often the root cause of costly and frustrating service delays,” said Gregory Butler, CEO, Purple Transform.
“As it’s simply not feasible for rail employees to monitor all of these crossings all of the time, radical new solutions are required. That’s where AI comes in.
“Our ‘Levelling Up Crossings’ project will help identify safety incidents before they develop, empowering relevant personnel to rectify the situation, keeping the railway moving and people out of harm’s way.”