A combination of optical distance sensors, thermal imaging, and artificial intelligence technology is being used to detect trespassers in the rail corridor in Melbourne.
The new intruder detection system has already captured people risking their lives and the safety of others.
By sending an alert to Metro Trains Melbourne’s network control centre, security teams and police have been able to track the location of trespassers based on the sensing technology.
General manager – security operations at Metro Adrian Rowland said that one trespasser can have a major impact.
“Trespassing has a major impact on our ability to deliver the reliable services our passengers deserve,” he said.
“One person on the tracks can impact 50,000 people behind them – it’s almost a domino effect.”
Trespassing is not only a major cause of delays on the network but can pose a safety hazard. In the last financial year, an average of 328 trespasser incidents occurred each month across the Melbourne heavy rail network.
“We get a lot of nuisance trespassers, and as soon as somebody goes to a place that’s unsafe, we have to stop the trains,” said Rowland.
The new intruder detection system is in addition to existing methods of keeping people off the track and trains running. These include over 9,000 CCTV cameras, a dedicated Network Security and Surveillance team that routinely patrols hotspots and carries out joint operations with Victoria Police, and anti-trespasser ground panels at known trespassing hotspots.
The final for illegally trespassing is up to $330.