Central Railways will install a video surveillance system with 3652 CCTV cameras using Nirbhaya funds at A1, A, B, and C category stations with the assistance of RailTel. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has already been signed in this respect between the Railway Board and RailTel. A face recognition system, video analytics, and video management system will be implemented at 117 Central Railway Stations. Aside from that, 2470 cameras will be put in Central Railway's 247 D&E category stations. Central Railway stations, as well as all stations on the Mumbai Suburban Network, will soon be outfitted with facial recognition cameras, a technology that will aid in the apprehending of wanted offenders and the management of congested regions. Central Railway intends to deploy cameras with a facial recognition system in 117 stations, all of which will be equipped with 4K technology.
Except for stations currently outfitted with Integrated Security Systems (ISS), such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Dadar, Kurla, Thane, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, and Kalyan, this project will cover all stations within the Mumbai Division. Cameras equipped with face recognition systems, video analytics, and video management systems will improve passenger safety, reduce crime, deter lawbreakers, and monitor compliance with railway rules. PTZ cameras may be operated by RPF employees and have a vertical tilt angle of 180 degrees and a horizontal tilt angle of 360 degrees, ensuring no blind areas. These cameras will essentially help security authorities watch people, discover abandoned things, and prevent trespassing at the terminals. Data from these cameras will be transferred to surveillance stations over an IP network and then routed to a unified control command centre. With this technology, all 117 stations will be constantly monitored digitally. These cameras are capable of recognising a person whose face is registered in the database, notifying administration of the presence of known offenders as they approach the station. These cameras can recognise different regions of the face, such as the retina or the forehead. In addition, the cameras will be overseen by a multi-layered monitoring network, and the data acquired will be archived for 30 days.
These cameras are a huge step forward in terms of comprehensive surveillance, improving passenger security and safety. This project calls for the installation of CCTV cameras in waiting rooms, reservation counters, parking spaces, key entrances and exits, platforms, foot-over bridges, and booking offices, all of which will be networked by optical fibre cable. The video feed from these CCTV cameras will be shown not just at local RPF posts but also at divisional and zonal levels in a centralised CCTV control room. The camera feeds will be monitored at three levels, increasing safety and security at railway facilities. Four types of full-HD cameras will be used to give sharper pictures and greater coverage: bullet cameras for platforms, dome cameras for inside spaces, ultra HD-4k cameras for critical spots, and pan-tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras for parking areas. The RPF control centre will broadcast live streaming from these CCTVs on many screens. Each HD camera uses around 750 GB of data per month, whereas 4K cameras consume 3TB per month. The video footage will be kept for 30 days for post-event analysis, replay, and inquiry; however, noteworthy recordings may be kept for longer.
The number of cameras to be deployed has been determined by Indian Railways, depending on station types. The specifics are as follows:
92 cameras for A1-category stations A-category stations have 60 cameras, B-category stations have 38 cameras, C-category stations have 26 cameras, D-category stations have ten cameras, and E-category stations have ten cameras. Solapur station is the only A-1 category covered by this project, and 18 A-category stations, 12 B-category stations, and 86 C-category stations will have cameras with face recognition systems installed, in addition to 247 stations with 2470 cameras installed with a video surveillance system.
With face recognition technologies, in addition to traditional means of police, playing a major role in solving crimes faster and more correctly, the installation of hi-tech cameras with FSS software will improve passenger safety and security and will undoubtedly transform the way India travels.