Application Status and Prospects of Augmented Reality Technology in Rail Transit Operation and Maintenance Scenarios

This paper systematically examines the current applications, key technologies and future prospects of augmented reality (AR) in the operation and maintenance of rail transit systems. Traditional operation and maintenance models suffer from inefficiency, high cost and significant safety risks. By integrating with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Twin, AR provides innovative solutions to these challenges. AR enables enhanced visualization, data management, and remote collaboration, playing a pivotal role in improving the effectiveness of operations. Both domestic and international case studies demonstrate that AR has significantly boosted operational efficiency, reduced human error, and accelerated the digital and intelligent transformation of the rail transit industry. Nevertheless, several challenges remain, including limitations in hardware portability and battery life, suboptimal device performance, weak environmental adaptability, and lack of coordination across industry ecosystems. In the future, the integration of AR into rail transit is expected to evolve toward platformization, intelligence, and ecosystem development, becoming a key driver of comprehensive digitalization and intelligent transformation in the sector.