7 Railway Stations, Including Mumbai’s CST, To Get AI Surveillance; Here’s How It Will Protect Travellers

Every day, millions of people in India take the train. But when it comes to women passengers, safety is always a top concern. To make train journeys safer, especially for women, the government has announced a new and powerful step: installing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition systems at seven major railway stations, including two of the busiest hubs in the country, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) and New Delhi Railway Station.

7 Busy Indian Railway Stations To Get AI Facial Recognition

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Supreme Court that this step is part of a larger initiative to fight the rising cases of crimes against women. The government’s affidavit highlighted that the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) now holds over 20 lakh records of offenders involved in serious crimes like rape, stalking, eve-teasing, and child abuse. If these people are seen at the station, security cameras can quickly identify them using AI facial recognition, notifying authorities before an incident happens.

Money Control reports state that the action was taken in response to a petition filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers’ Association, which expressed concern about the rise in crimes against women, especially in public places like train stations and trains. Their push for stronger safety measures has prompted the government to act quickly.

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How Will It Help Travellers?

Cameras at the station will scan faces in real time. If someone matches a face in the NDSO database, security staff will be immediately alerted. Authorities can now take action before there is an actual threat. This gives passengers a lot of confidence, especially women who are travelling alone or late at night.

Safe City Projects are currently underway in eight major cities: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Lucknow. These projects include advanced tools like CCTV cameras with AI facial recognition, automatic number plate readers, smart lighting, and even drones to monitor high-risk areas.

A Supreme Court bench led by Justice Surya Kant will review the PIL soon, Money Control reported. If everything moves forward as planned, travellers at these seven major stations can expect a new layer of safety with AI facial recognition.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva/PDPics