SMRT Trains Limited (SMRT), in collaboration with Envision Digital, has commenced a three-month-long trial using artificial intelligence (AI) to regulate energy consumption at two underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in Singapore. The trials will be conducted at the Circle Line’s Paya Lebar and MacPherson stations and aims at reducing energy consumption by 5 to 10 per cent at each location.
The AI system will use weather and ridership data to automatically regulate the cooling at the stations.
If the trials are successful, the system will be deployed in 70 underground stations on other urban transit lines by 2023 including the North-South, East-West, Circle and Thomson-East Coast lines. The AI energy management system is capable of reducing around 7 GWh of energy usage across these stations per year.
This move is a part of SMRT Trains’ aim of increasing the use of smart technologies to make its rail operations more sustainable as well as achieve net zero emissions by 2050.