AI and virtual reality to replicate real track conditions, boosting safety skills through repeated training
Development has begun in earnest on an AI-based training program designed to prevent on-site accidents by letting workers repeatedly experience railway hazards in a digital environment.
Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) announced Thursday that it has launched development of an "AI-based track work training simulator" that allows workers to learn safe operating procedures without setting foot on an actual track.
The project was selected as a task under the government's "AI Applied Product Rapid Commercialization Support Project (Land and Transport Sector)," a joint initiative by 11 related ministries aimed at making South Korea one of the world's top three AI powers. Korail is targeting commercial deployment of the simulator by 2027.
The simulator will use AI, virtual reality and digital twin technology to replicate actual track environments and guide workers through every step of a job — from preparation to completion — in repeated practice sessions free from real-world hazards.
All personnel who enter track areas will be able to experience a range of dangerous scenarios in a safe training environment, with the goal of improving their on-site adaptability and emergency response capabilities.
The training program will extend beyond new employees to include partner company staff, broadening safety capacity across the railway industry as a whole.
Korail plans to recreate tracks, infrastructure and surrounding terrain in virtual reality to provide an immersive training environment and raise workers' skill levels over time.
An AI physics engine will visualize on-site hazards such as wind pressure from passing trains and the danger zones around electrified overhead lines. The system will also support repeated drills covering various scenarios by worker role and track section.
An AI agent will also serve as a "virtual instructor," analyzing workers' actions, detecting unsafe behavior in real time and suggesting correct procedures through an interactive coaching system.
Korail plans to develop and validate the simulator, add hyper-realistic training content, and roll it out progressively to railway sites across the country.
Yang Tae-hun, head of Korail's Railway Research Institute, said the core of the project is "safely experiencing hazardous conditions in a digital space through repeated practice and learning how to respond." He added that the company would "enhance the safety capabilities of track workers through hands-on training using AI and digital twin technology."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
