DMRC to soon introduce facial recognition cameras on Airport Express Line

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will soon introduce smart cameras fitted with facial recognition software on the Airport Express Line, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

DMRC principal executive director, corporate communications Anuj Dayal said a tender has been floated for the design, supply, and commissioning of such cameras at the entry/exit points of seven stations on the line — New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aerocity, Airport-T3, Dwarka Sector 21, and Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25.

He said the company that wins the bid must also maintain the cameras for a period of five years.

“There are 19 such entry/exit points on the Airport Express Line,” Dayal said, adding this will be a pilot project, with more such cameras to be looked at in the future, if the plan proves to be successful.

Officials said these smart cameras will allow them to carry out crowd monitoring — a feature that will send alerts to security staff if platforms are crowded beyond a certain threshold. This will thus allow for manual intervention on the ground to manage crowds better, they said.

In addition, these cameras will also be equipped with a “smart search” feature, which will allow security agencies or DMRC to identify a particular face in a crowd.

“These (cameras) will be AI-based 8 MP (4K Ultra HD) cameras along with DSLR-based lenses for facial recognition, smart search, surveillance, crowd monitoring, and will have alarm systems,” Dayal said, adding that a central command centre will soon be created to peruse the footage from the cameras.

With this, DMRC will become the first Metro line in India to have cameras with facial recognition software.

Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) said though privacy concerns may exist around facial recognition, its usage can be beneficial particularly for crowd management. “In public transport systems, wherever we see such cameras being used, the main benefit is crowd management. This can particularly be useful in handling crowds on platforms. If they are too crowded, DMRC can ensure no more people are sent to the platform,” he said, adding storage of such sensitive data is also important.

The development comes months after DMRC managing director Vikas Kumar in July had announced that the corporation is looking to make technological advancements for safety purposes, with AI-based CCTV cameras being one of them. He had announced plans to install such cameras at stations being constructed by DMRC as part of the Metro’s phase 4 expansion.

The 65.2km phase 4 expansion, currently under construction, comprises of 45 stations across three corridors — Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg (28.92km) and Majlis Park-Maujpur (12.55km), which are extensions of the Magenta and Pink lines, respectively, and the new 23.62km Golden Line (Aerocity-Tughlakabad).

A DMRC official said based on the smart camera pilot on the Airport Express Line, the corporation will assess the installation of such cameras in stations being constructed under the phase 4 expansion. “They may be installed in a phased manner,” the official said.