JR East trials facial recognition technology

East Japan Railway (JR East) is looking to bring its ticket gates up to speed with modern life. Officials are testing facial-recognition technology along the Joetsu Shinkansen line in the central prefecture of Niigata. The trial is underway between Niigata and Nagaoka stations.

JR East plans to introduce ticketless gates on all of its lines within 10 years using facial recognition and smartphone location technologies. An official said the aim is to accurately recognize passengers regardless of walking speed or facial angle. The current trial is scheduled to run through next March, excluding the busy end-of-year season.