Southeastern expands use of in-service train AI-monitoring cameras

Southeastern Railway has confirmed it is expanding its asset‑condition monitoring trial using AI monitoring cameras mounted on in-service trains across its network in South‑East London, Kent and parts of East Sussex.

image: Southeastern Railway

The aim is to turn in‑service trains into mobile inspection units, each covering hundreds of miles each day, thereby reducing the need for dedicated track‑side patrols and enabling proactive maintenance.

The system, provided by Bristol based technology company One Big Circle, uses the company’s Automated Intelligent Video Review (AIVR) platform to detect “hot spots” and emerging asset faults before they “escalate into service‑disrupting failures”.

The system deploys forward‑facing video cameras and thermal imaging sensors which record footage and thermal‑data of track infrastructure, conductor rails, under‑body components and other critical assets.

The imagery is transmitted via 4G/5G to a cloud‑based platform where machine‑learning algorithms flag anomalies, categorise risk levels and alert engineers for further inspection.

In the pilot phase undertaken earlier this year 2025, Southeastern reports the system successfully identified 41 overheating incidents and prevented more than 9,000 minutes of delay to customers. The next phase of the rollout will see the technology fitted to 32 trains across the region.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said, “This Government is fundamentally reforming how our railways are run, creating a network that works better for the people and freight using it.

“The cutting-edge technology Southeastern Railway is installing on its trains is key to achieving this and should serve as an example of the kind of smart investments we’re making as publicly owned rail companies work to improve services.”