IoT Insights for Real Time Crowd Measurement at Melbourne Central Station

Category

Smart Transport Infrastructure Award

Submitting Organisation

Cisco

Collaborating Partners

Department of Transport Victoria

Metro Trains Melbourne

Cohda Wireless

The University of Melbourne

La Trobe University

In a post pandemic world and with population growth, changing travel patterns and the overcrowding issue at major railway stations will get worse and not disappear. It is very difficult to resolve this issue by just changing station infrastructure. Congestion events due to crowding at stations lead to lost productivity, poor customer sentiment and more importantly create unsafe situations. In this unique trial we have used WiFi signals from devices such as mobile phones, tablets and watches to locate the placement and movement of people at Melbourne Central Station and on trains in realtime. Leveraging AI the solution then uses this data to predict congestion events enabling the possibility of early intervention and mitigation and improving the overall customer experience. The use of WiFi signals to pinpoint the location and movement of electronic devices with nonline-of sight and with a high degree of accuracy is unique. However, when using the same technology to scan passing trains to understand load it begins to offer additional insight into identifying and alleviate congestion at the station.

The benefit of this solution is the capability for situational awareness of a rising congestion event, determine the impact of different control methods based on the data gathered and then raise suitable intervention actions. This will lead to improved asset utilisation, mitigation of safety incidents and an overall better customer experience. Public transport is the most sustainable mode of transport. Detailed knowledge of platform loading and passenger movement at stations are the basis for the efficient and safe management of transport service from planning to operations. This project outcomes has the potential to significantly contribute to the efficient management of public transport stations and improve the customer experience.