Howrah station to get AI surveillance upgrade with face recognition technology

In a major step towards enhancing passenger security, the Railway Department has started implementing AI technology and installing face recognition cameras at Howrah station, one of the busiest railway hubs in the country. With around 11 lakh passengers traveling daily, Howrah station is often a soft target for criminals blending into the crowd.

Railway officials acknowledged that identifying criminals through traditional CCTV footage and manual checks had become practically impossible due to the massive number of commuters. "Now there are about three hundred cameras in the Howrah station premises," said Sanjeev Kumar, DRM of Howrah Division, Eastern Railway. However, many of these existing cameras are basic and lack face recognition capabilities.

To address this gap, Railways is installing high-quality face recognition cameras that will work with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automatically identify suspects from police databases. This integrated system is expected to make it much easier to track and catch criminals, even in a sea of passengers.

Past incidents like the recent kidnapping of a child and the fatal stabbing of a woman near the station highlighted the urgent need for better surveillance. In some cases, crimes went unrecorded simply because the locations lacked CCTV coverage. The new system will cover not only the station interior but also key areas around it.

Authorities are also working on significantly increasing the total number of cameras, ensuring better quality footage and expanded surveillance zones. Passengers, meanwhile, have welcomed the move, hoping it will make travel through the station safer and more secure.

With the combination of AI-driven technology and upgraded infrastructure, Howrah station is aiming to set a new benchmark for railway security across India.