PUBLIC transport company SMRT has debuted a safety system incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) for the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) line.

Named iSafe, the system was officially launched on Thursday (Jul 6) by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and Ministry of Transport, Dr Amy Khor, at the BPLRT Depot at Junction 10 shopping mall in Bukit Panjang.

iSafe uses eight cameras to monitor the railway tracks at each BPLRT station. AI constantly analyses the footage to provide real-time detection alerts to staff if anyone loiters near the edge of the station platform or goes onto the train tracks. SMRT said that the system is able to detect humans in its target zones with 99.8 per cent accuracy, a figure which could improve as the algorithm learns over time.

SMRT added that the system was introduced because the BPLRT stations – unlike Mass Rapid Transit stations – lack platform screen doors, which physically block access to the tracks.

Because of the urgency of safety situations, SMRT used a fibre-optic network to connect the cameras to iSafe’s computers for minimal latency. The company said that the time from detecting an incident to alerting staff is “less than five seconds”.

SMRT added that iSafe has already proved its worth since beginning operation on all 13 BPLRT stations since Saturday (Jul 1). On Sunday (Jul 2), it alerted staff to the presence of a person on the tracks, who was then evacuated without injury.

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iSafe was developed by SMRT’s business arm, Strides, with development announced in May 2022. SMRT declined to comment on the cost of developing and implementing the system.