SMRT wins "Most Innovative Use of Technology
Award"
SINGAPORE : Public transport operator SMRT wanted to use
creativity and technology to cut cost and maximise efficiency, and
thus came up with two innovative systems to make the ride more
pleasant for commuters.
For its efforts, the company garnered the "Most Innovative Use of
Technology Award" for the first time at the International Metro
Awards in London.
For many MRT users, passing by ticketing gantries is an everyday
affair.
Once in a while, passengers would try to sneak past with a free
ride - by tailgating the person in front.
SMRT is hot on their trail, with a new gantry that has more
sophisticated sensors.
David Ho, senior manager, Fare System Development, SMRT, explained:
"We have more sensors, so they actually better detect the different
passenger profile, for example children, adults and passengers with
trolley and prams. So with a more accurate detection, it increases
the throughput of passengers."
The sensors are better able to detect if someone is trying to
tailgate, or is simply taking a little longer at the gantry.
Currently, there is only one such gantry at the Somerset MRT
station.
SMRT hopes to replace its 20-year-old gantries with the new ones
over the next four years.
The train operator also hopes to
improve its track maintenance work through a set of cameras tucked
underneath a train car. The aim is to record images of foreign
objects or detect problems with the tracks.
Ng Chong Joo, senior manager,
Permanent Way Branch, SMRT, said: "With the real vision system, we
can pick up track abnormalities, which include uneven
surfaces.
"With this system, we are able to pick up the defects earlier, so
that we can schedule out maintenance activity to smoothen the rail
surface in a (speedy) manner."
Currently, SMRT deploys about 60 staff every alternate day to check
the tracks manually, using a torch light. This approach is labour
intensive and time consuming. With the new camera system, the
company hopes to reduce such checks from every alternate day to
just once a week.
SMRT has installed the cameras on two trains and hopes to use them
more extensively from next week.
So which train-set? anybody noes? i saw on tv yesterday, it is a
C651 since it white.
