Passenger information yesterday and today

Passenger information began to develop when the first comprehensive timetables appeared in Great Britain in 1839. Time differences between cities such as London, Bristol, Birmingham or Manchester could be between 15 and 20 minutes, so it was necessary to introduce “London time”, i.e. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Paper timetable

A timetable is a document intended to help passengers plan their journey. The primary information presented on a timetable is the time and destination. The information answered passengers’ basic questions: Where was the vehicle going and at what time. Over time, the timetable was enriched with additional information, including: o stations/stops on the route. The printed form takes the form of posters and leaflets and is still popular today. Paper timetables require manual updating and do not take into account delays.

Split-flap display

Split-flap displays in railway jargon are old-style displays. Once upon a time, characteristic black and white boards with flaps could be found on every platform and every station waiting room in Poland. The Łódź Kaliska station had the last such system in Poland. The pallet boards often jammed, not showing full passenger information. Pragotrons replace modern electronic passenger information boards, which are easier to use, cheaper to operate and can be controlled using a computer.

Electronic passenger information boards

Currently, at stops, railway stations, stations and platforms, you can find TFT LCD and LED displays that are updated remotely and show the actual arrival time of the means of transport. Electronic passenger information boards, in addition to displaying standard information such as vehicle line number, direction of travel and arrival/departure time, can also show passengers additional messages regarding, among others: difficulties on the route or promotion of the region. The latest TFT, LED and LCD passenger information boards produced by DYSTEN have built-in cameras, thanks to which it is possible to constantly monitor the situation at the stop, and thanks to the TTS (Text To Speech) system, visually impaired or blind people can use public transport using voice messages .

E-paper timetable

Boards using e-paper technology can display monochrome or two-color timetables and route maps. The e-paper timetable can be updated remotely, from the central unit, even every 30 seconds. This makes it possible to display passenger information in real time. Energy is consumed only when refreshing the data displayed on the board, and for this all you need is a renewable energy source, such as a solar panel. The screen of such a passenger information display does not generate light, so it does not negatively affect the eyesight, but it requires additional backlighting at night.