On the afternoon of October 31, CASCO, together with Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Shentong Group”), Shanghai Telecom, Huawei, Shanghai Communications Services and other partners, launched China’s first rail transit operation management platform based on 5G applications – “5G+ Intelligent Operation Command Platform”, which is the first customized application of CASCO’s “Fully Automatic Operation System 2.0” for intelligent metros since its official release in June this year. At present, the platform has been officially put into operation at East Xujing Station of Shanghai Metro Line 2, aiming to provide intelligent rail transit service for the success of the Second China International Import Expo.

Launching ceremony of “5G+ Intelligent Metro Platform” for the Import Expo

The Second Import Expo will be held from November 5, with the scale further expanded compared with the first one. About 150,000 to 200,000 people are expected to attend the event every day, and about half of them are likely to take the metro for the event. Rail transit comes first when safeguarding the Import Expo. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the Import Expo, effectively organize and manage the passenger flow, and protect passengers’ safety, CASCO and Shentong Group jointly developed this intelligent management platform based on 5G applications, so as to comprehensively improve the transportation service for the Import Expo. By report, under the support of “5G+ Intelligent Operation Command Platform”, operators can achieve efficiency improvement in such aspects as passenger flow management, site management, and O&M management relying on the 5G high-speed network. Meanwhile, they can coordinate the operation among Shanghai Metro Line 2, Line 10 and Line 17, as well as the command among East Xujing Station, Hongqiao Railway Station and Zhuguang Road Station. In this way, the regional joint command system of “three stations and three lines” for the Import Expo will be formed, and the service capabilities of operation organization, passenger transport organization and maintenance and support will be greatly improved.

Operation command platform of “three stations and three lines”

In terms of passenger flow management, “5G+ Intelligent Operation Command Platform” can monitor in real time the passenger flow of “three stations and three lines” as well as the expo venue, and accurately predict the passenger flow in the next 15 minutes (for example, predicting the queue time) according to historical data, so as to help commanders more accurately judge the operation and prepare work plans, and start the traffic emergency management plan when necessary, like informing passengers to change the route in advance. It is worth mentioning that “5G+ Intelligent Operation Command Platform” can not only obtain the information of “people”, but also obtain the weighing information of vehicles in real time and calculate the train’s carrying capacity. When the passenger flow does not match the carrying capacity, the platform will give a yellow, orange or red warning in time and offer advice on opening of evacuation passages, operation modes of such equipment as gates and escalators, opening or closing of entrances and exits, and ground passenger evacuation guidance.

All-around, intelligent passenger flow management

The management of station staff will adopt a new digital mode. The locating bracelet can synchronize the on-duty status of station staff in real time. With the mobile terminal, station staff can realize visual intercom with the command room. The deployment of mobile cameras can effectively cover the existing blind spots in video surveillance. Equipped with AR glasses, staff in the command room can guide the station staff to deal with emergencies from the first perspective. In terms of O&M management, the platform has provided the standby status of maintenance personnel, remote troubleshooting based on AR, and on-duty information of maintenance personnel. According to the construction of multi-domain O&M platforms, real-time monitoring of equipment failure will be available to realize the intelligent linkage between operation and maintenance and efficient troubleshooting. In the future, 5G technology will enable further intelligentization of metro maintenance and support, so as to create the full- cycle management and full-domain and whole-process maintenance and support management for rail traffic equipment based on the Internet of Things.

Brand new digital station management

In addition, “5G+ Intelligent Operation Command Platform” has realized the civilian use of 5G network for the first time. The conversion of 5G network into WiFi hotspots breaks down the device barrier for 5G network use, which gives passengers the opportunity to experience the high-speed and smooth 5G network, download “Metro Daduhui” APP and scan the QR code to buy tickets in one second, without changing their phones.

The successful launch of “5G+ Intelligent Operation Command Platform” is not only a milestone in the field of rail transit construction, but also an innovative demonstration of application of CASCO’s “Fully Automatic Operation System 2.0” for smart metros. It is of demonstrating significance for the further implementation of smart metro construction in China, and will also provide more practice cases and data for peers’ reference. In the future, based on the application of more new technologies such as 5G, CASCO’s “Fully Automatic Operation System 2.0” is expected to release greater potential and expand more research space in the five sections of driverless trains, intelligent dispatching, intelligent train yards, intelligent stations and intelligent O&M.

Relying on its great strength in technology integration and independent R&D, CASCO will strive to realize more applications in the field of smart metros with the core of serving passengers, and help clients greatly improve the level of intelligent rail transit operation and management as well as the ability of safety service, so as to ensure passenger’ travel safety in an all-around way.