NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey Transit is working to harness the power of artificial intelligence to help make railroad crossings safer.
Stage one of this initiative will begin with the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line. Rail crossings and trains will have cameras to collect data about pedestrians, crossing vehicles, and weather conditions. The analysis of that data will help inform safety policy decisions.
“With that, we’ll be able to identify complex patterns and also correlations that a human being would take a long time or not be able to,” said Laura O’Grady, assistant director of facility planning and new technology integration for New Jersey Transit. She says the benefits from this will be felt far and wide.
“Proactively implement some safety strategies,” O’Grady said. “They can also be used by other agencies and rail systems nationwide so we can enhance safety for everybody.”
Stage two of the plan will expand the footprint of the study beyond the Bergen-Hudson Line with the overall goal of not only improving safety, but reducing delays and improving transit access for communities all over the state.