MOLIT and TS Conclude Railway Safety Innovation Competition... Numerous Field-Oriented AI Technologies Awarded

A Total of 53 Entries Submitted by Public and Institutions
Seoul Metro's "Electric Door Predictive Maintenance" Wins Grand Prize
Highly Praised for Accident Prevention Effectiveness and Feasibility
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award and 2 Million Won Prize Granted
TS President: "We Will Discover Field-Applicable Innovative Technologies to Enhance User Safety"

The "2025 Railway Safety Innovation Competition," hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS), concluded successfully on December 4 at the headquarters of Korea Railroad Corporation.

Photo of the Railway Safety Innovation Competition Awards Ceremony. Korea Transportation Safety Authority.

This event was organized to discover field-oriented innovative technologies and ideas related to railway safety and to present a future vision for railway systems. A total of 53 entries were submitted during the two-week competition held from October 31 to November 14, with 27 from the general public and 26 from institutions. The judging was based on four criteria: creativity, difficulty, achievement, and utility.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Seoul Metro for its "Development of an Electric Door Condition Diagnosis and Predictive Maintenance Program." This technology, which detects abnormal signs in train doors in advance to prevent accidents, received high marks for its effectiveness in accident prevention and feasibility.

The Excellence Awards went to two entries: Seoul Metro's "AI-Based Virtual Verification Simulator for Train Signals" and the general public's "Video-Based AI Railway Safety Automation System." These technologies were recognized for their ability to instantly verify signal reception errors and for their use of CCTV to detect ground obstacles, respectively.

The Encouragement Awards were presented to Incheon Transit Corporation's "Automatic Analysis Program for Train Operation Records (RSD)" and the general public's "AI-Based Urban Rail In-Train Risk Detection and Response System." The former analyzes abnormal operation patterns such as sudden braking or acceleration in real time, while the latter detects risks based on passenger density and other factors inside the train.

The winners received awards from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the President of TS, along with prize money. The Grand Prize included a cash award of 2 million won, while the Excellence Awards came with 1 million won each.

Jung Kyung, Director of Railway Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "This competition served as a platform to share best practices among organizations and to develop practical measures to strengthen railway safety," adding, "The participation of both the public and industry professionals will help build greater trust in railway safety."

Jung Yongshik, President of TS, said, "We will continue to discover innovative technologies that can be applied in the field to enhance the sense of safety for railway users."

Meanwhile, the Railway Safety Innovation Competition has been held annually since 2018, with a total of 32 outstanding technologies selected and partially implemented in the field to date. In 2021, a "Fiber Optic Sensor-Based Railway Track Safety Monitoring System" was introduced, and in 2024, a "Railway Facility Autonomous Inspection System" was adopted.