Japan's Railway to Use Artificial Intelligence for Tackling Snowdrifts - Reports

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The West Japan Railway company is developing a smart system based on artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the efficiency of clearing tracks from snowbanks and protecting the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen train route, the Japanese Kyodo news agency reported.

According to the media outlet, train operators are currently dependent on weather forecasts to determine the number of personnel to deploy for snow removal operations. Such estimates often lack accuracy.

The AI system under development will collect data on snow accumulation in real-time, based on images from cameras installed on the Shinkansen bullet trains, as well as predict the required number of staff.

The news agency added that the system would be fully operational by next winter.

The railway operator currently determines how many personnel it uses for snow clearance a day beforehand, based on information from meteorological data providers and past experience, but it is frequently not very accurate.