Trains have been an affordable and convenient means of transporting people and cargo for years. It has undergone many iterations, from running on steam to crossing opposite sides of countries in hours.
China shows the latest evolution of locomotives as it has fully integrated artificial intelligence into the operation and maintenance of its high-speed railway system. The latter surpasses the length of the equator, yet AI will now run its trains and detect issues for immediate repairs.
Capabilities of this AI system
South China Morning Post says China’s high-speed railway started construction 15 years ago.
The news website says it “surpasses the length of the equator,” the imaginary line that divides the Earth into two equidistant sides.
China’s high-speed railway system is the fastest in the world. It can run at 350km/h (217mph), but the country plans to increase its speed to 400km/hr (249mph).
Also, the network will expand until it links all cities with over 500,000 people. However, Niu Daoan, a senior engineer at the China State Railway Group’s infrastructure inspection center, identified an impending issue with the train line.
The number of maintenance workers will gradually increase due to many factors, namely rising incomes, a declining birth rate, and China’s aging population.
Niu’s team created an AI system as a solution. They collected and organized almost 2,000 terabytes from various sources, such as:
- Dynamic waveform values from wheel sensors
- Records of train body movements
- Rail vibrations
- Meteorological records
- Changes in power grid power generation
- Electromagnetic spectrum monitoring records
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Then, they trained their AI model on this data. As a result, their artificial intelligence is 85% more efficient in analyzing data.
This upgrade enables Beijing’s maintenance management headquarters to issue nationwide warnings daily instead of weekly. Also, officials ensure the AI train system remains under control by imposing numerous data restrictions.
In other words, artificial intelligence ensures the world’s largest high-speed railway system runs smoothly and efficiently.