Tokyo Metro has begun displaying real-time congestion information by car number at five stations on the Hibiya and Tozai Lines.
The five stations targeted are Minowa and Iriya Stations for Nakameguro on the Hibiya Line, and Minamisunacho, Kasai, and Urayasu Stations for Nakano on the Tozai Line.
This system displays “actual congestion of arriving trains” and “predicted congestion at each station after boarding” on a display in the station, based on the congestion information for each train car, measured in real time using a depth camera with a depth sensor to acquire depth and AI. Congestion is visualized in six levels, ranging from “enough to be able to sit in a seat” to “feeling overwhelmed.
Users will be able to see the congestion forecast and actual congestion just before boarding the train, enabling them to select an available car or train. This will make it easier for passengers to select the most suitable car and train, especially during the morning rush hours for trains bound for Nakameguro on the Hibiya Line and for trains bound for Nakano on the Tozai Line.
The company has conducted demonstration tests at Waseda Station on the Tozai Line in FY2022 and at Aoyama-itchome Station on the Hanzomon Line in FY2023. As a result, the company decided to introduce the system this time because it was found to be effective in providing real-time congestion information to encourage passengers to move to empty carriages. Tokyo Metro is the only railroad operator that has introduced a train congestion measurement system using depth cameras and AI.
© Source travel watch