Security is a crucial issue in passenger transport. We were able to raise the importance of security in stations in particular, in a previous article which you can find by clicking on the link below.
A safety issue
Knowing the number of passengers on trains has a real impact on safety. Indeed, this data is often not known to transport authorities and operators, although it is often estimated via ticketing systems or other means. However, this estimate of passenger numbers is not precise enough to fully guarantee their safety.
Having this information is indeed crucial in the event of an accident or attack in a vehicle. Indeed, one of the first pieces of information requested by the police or rescue forces will be the number of people on board in order to size up their efforts and manage the intervention logistics as well as possible.
Safety control with gauges
This data can be obtained via automatic people counting sensors operating in real time. Indeed, if a counting sensor is installed at each door of the vehicle, it will be possible to know the number of people in the vehicle with an accuracy that can reach more than 98% depending on the technology used.
If even more accurate train occupancy data is required, then it is possible to add counting sensors between cars. The advantage is that the occupancy of each car is known in real time.
Thus, when the operator is asked how many people are in a train at any given time, he can communicate this information accurately and even locate these people by car.
If the operator wants to use the system to prevent trains from becoming overcrowded, he can also receive an alert if the passenger occupancy rate exceeds the maximum threshold he has set.
In conclusion, we can see that passenger counting systems have other uses than operational optimisation. The safety aspect of knowing in real time the passenger loads in the trains is a crucial need and will become more and more present with the development of smart transport in particular.