Libelium takes on the challenge of crowd measurement in the New York City subway
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How IoT technology saves $3,300 per day and boosts operational efficiency across the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).
In a metropolis like New York, public transport efficiency is a cornerstone of both quality of life and economic growth. Every year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) partners with leading companies and regional transit agencies to develop real-world solutions that improve the city’s transportation system.
One of this year’s big questions was: How can we accurately measure, collect, and optimize passenger data and travel demand to fine-tune public transport schedules?
The challenge: Managing the busiest station through measurement
Transit Tech Lab is the MTA’s testing ground and accelerator for new technology solutions.
Smart Crowd, Libelium’s people-flow management solution, has already proven itself in scenarios such as music festivals and beach visitor management.
But could it handle the complexity of New York City’s subway?
The pilot focused on Jamaica Station, one of LIRR’s busiest transit hubs. The goal was clear: deploy a solution capable of monitoring passenger volumes in real time, mapping movement patterns, and generating heat maps to support data-driven decisions.
Manual counting had proven costly and inefficient. The ticketing data the MTA had already collected was insufficient. What they needed was deeper insight into how passengers actually moved inside the station. The answer required a 24/7 technological solution with no human intervention, maximizing resources while enhancing passenger experience.
The solution: Smart, anonymous IoT deployment + platform
In June, together with its local partner Blackhawk Data, Libelium installed two Smart Spot Crowd devices on platforms A and C.
This technology anonymously detects Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals from travellers’ devices (smartphones, headphones, smartwatches) to estimate crowd density and analyze passenger flow, without capturing any personal data.
Data is securely transmitted via 4G to iris360, Libelium’s cloud platform, where MTA managers can visualize insights through intuitive dashboards, generate reports, and configure alerts.
The system provides real-time information on crowd levels for operational purposes (passenger access management, alerts) and long-term trend analysis to improve planning and demand forecasting.
Results: Tangible impact and a clear ROI
The pilot proved to be a resounding success, delivering high-value insights and measurable benefits:
Direct savings and operational efficiency
- Replaced costly manual counts, saving an estimated $3,300 per day.
- Provided 24/7 visibility with zero human intervention, freeing staff to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Enabled data-driven maintenance planning. For example, low occupancy detected on June 14 matched scheduled works, validating the system as a powerful tool to minimize passenger disruption.
Smarter passenger flow management
- Tracked up to 600 devices per hour across the two platforms, giving a clear view of movement patterns within the station.
- Identified peak traffic periods with precision: platform A from 6:30–9:30 a.m., and platform C with two peaks, morning and 4:30–7:30 p.m.
- Revealed Wednesdays as the busiest day, a key insight for resource allocation.
Enhanced safety and passenger experience
The system can detect sudden crowd spikes caused by arriving trains and, more importantly, sustained crowds caused by delays. This allows station staff to act proactively to manage crowds and improve safety.
The future: Towards a predictive transport network
The Jamaica Station pilot achieved its core objective: a robust validation of Libelium’s technology in one of the most demanding transport environments worldwide.
The results highlighted the potential to optimize operations, deliver significant cost savings, and scale by integrating additional data sources with AI and machine learning models.
MTA recognized the value of Libelium’s solution as a complement to its existing surveillance systems—adding predictive, anonymized, and privacy-preserving intelligence.
For the Libelium team, working alongside the MTA in such an iconic and dynamic city as New York was an exceptional experience. This success story not only makes us proud but also validates a proven and replicable technology model for transport operators worldwide who, like the MTA, are committed to innovating infrastructure management.
Behind the Change.
Beyond the Challenge.
