Railways launches facial recognition cameras to track commuters

28 Aug 2021 CW Team

The Indian Railways has set up a network of around 500 facial recognition cameras to track millions of daily commuters.

This is in line with the stepped-up surveillance effort by the Indian government.

The system was developed by NtechLab, a Russian start-up, and has been operational for the past month at approximately 30 railway stations in Gujarat and Maharashtra, including Mumbai. Around seven million commuters use the Mumbai local train on a daily basis.

The report cites that India has increased its use of video surveillance, including facial recognition, throughout the country.

The government has also released an open tender for the National Automated Facial Recognition System, which is an integrated nationwide central system.

According to the report, the creators of the face recognition system claim that it can recognise up to 50 persons in a single frame at once, including those wearing masks, and that the system will be able to tally passenger traffic at any given time.

The technology can also identify criminals, track people of interest through a live camera, and hunt for missing people.

Critics have expressed concern about the potential influence of facial recognition technology on the privacy and civil liberties of the public.

They are concerned that this may be used to track down protestors after police used Trinetra, a similar facial recognition system, to track down and arrest over 1,000 farmers at an anti-government rally.

Image Source

Also read: Indian Railways rolls out new generation smart coaches

Technology

29 Jul 2026

AI-Enabled Workflows Lift Profitability and Productivity

Organisations modernising frontline workflows with artificial intelligence, automation and real-time data are reporting stronger financial performance, higher productivity and improved employee engagement, according to a global study by Zebra Technologies and Oxford Economics.The research covered 1,000 senior leaders across retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics in the US, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.In transportation and logistics, 54 per cent of companies that improved picking and packing operations reported faster operational performance, wh..

India Leads Global AI Readiness but Implementation Lags

Indian companies lead global averages across all eight artificial intelligence readiness indicators tracked by JLL, but only 19 per cent have started making changes to their workplaces, according to the JLL 2026 Future of Work Survey.The study found that 77 per cent of Indian business leaders expect AI to change their office requirements, creating a 58-percentage-point gap between awareness and implementation. The survey covered more than 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate leaders across 21 countries during the first quarter of 2026.Despite concerns over automation, 58 per cent of Indian leaders..

Three WOLFF Cranes Build Riyadh Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three WOLFF 180 B luffing jib cranes are supporting the construction of two cable-stayed bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban Bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project is being developed for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and executed by the ICRC joint venture comprising IC Ictas and Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.The cranes are handling lifting operations including formwork, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other construction materials. Each crane is fitted with a 40 m jib, reaches a hook height of 157 m and offers a maximum ..