CHICAGO, IL – STV, a leading professional services firm that plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects across North America, today announced it has been selected by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to provide new digital solutions to enhance right-of-way safety as part of a unique CTA pilot program. Using software developed by Derq, an award-winning artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics platform, the pilot program will leverage AI-equipped cameras to provide real-time data so CTA can better monitor and respond to track right-of-way intrusions by people or large objects.
The camera detection system uses a computer vision algorithm to identify intrusions and send details to CTA staff at its Control Center so action can be taken. The new system has the potential to improve safety by enabling swift intervention when unauthorized people are on the tracks. The CTA receives approximately 2,000 reports every year of people entering the right-of-way – one of the most common being riders who jump off a platform to retrieve a dropped mobile phone – creating a safety hazard and causing frequent service delays.
“This is a pioneering use of emerging technology to improve community well-being and help one of our long-standing partners overcome challenges that impact the safety and efficiency of their transit system,” said Kitts Christov, senior vice president at STV. “This program is a reflection of how digital tools like AI and data analytics are now being deployed in traditional infrastructure sectors to help make our communities safer, smarter and more connected.”
The pilot, which will be conducted over the next 12 months, was initiated by CTA’s Innovation Studio, a program launched last year to test new and state-of-the-art solutions to a wide range issues impacting all aspects of the agency and its ridership. The Innovation Studio issued three “problem statements” last year related to the customer experience and STV’s solution addresses the Safety statement: “How can CTA automatically detect people or large objects on the tracks to enable swift intervention?”
STV has an extensive track record in the Chicago region with work dating back nearly four decades for clients such as CTA, Metra, the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Transportation and the Illinois Tollway. Key projects include the CTA Clark-LaSalle/Division Station Red Line Rehabilitation; Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District on the Kensington Interlocking Improvements in Chicago; and the Harrison Street Viaduct reconstruction for the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT).
