The MTA will test out new track alarm technology that aims to warn train crews when a person is on the tracks.
The agency’s board members on Monday moved forward with a package of contracts worth $1.7 million total for four companies to test the tech on New York City’s subway lines. The contracts are up for final approval by the board Wednesday.
The companies use thermal cameras and lasers to detect a person or object on the tracks.
“Each of these systems uses a different type of technology to create an electronic curtain that if crossed, will trigger an audible and visual notification at the Rail Control Center,” said Stephen Plochochi, a NYC Transit official who oversees contracts.
Train operators pulling up to the station will see strobe lights go off in tunnels if the system is tripped, according to Plochochi.
Each of the four companies up for the contract — Xtralis, Duos, Electronic Interface Associates and Clearsy System Engineering — will have their technology tested in the same undisclosed station.
This is the second phase of the MTA’s pilot program. The agency studied four other track intrusion systems last year, concluding that three of them could work in the subway.
