Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 15, 2007

New monitors display train arrival times at station entrances

Over the next two weeks Metro will roll out two different kinds of outdoor information signs at several Metrorail stations that will let passengers know about train arrivals, rail system disruptions before they enter the system, bus routes that serve the station, and the times for the first and last trains through the station.

Cylindrical information kiosks that are 31.5 inches in diameter and 6.5 feet high with a wraparound screen have been placed at three station entrances. In addition, Metro will install four, 46-inch LCD flat screens in three stations later this month.

Cylindrical kiosks have been installed at the entrances of the Gallery Pl-Chinatown (7th and F Street entrance), Shady Grove and Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail stations. An 86-inch rotating screen displays the arrival time for the next three trains. Information about any system delay and elevator outages will scroll across the bottom of the screen.

“Metro riders have been asking for more information and easier access to information. The new display screens at station entrances will give riders the information they need to make decisions about their travel plans before they even get into the station,” said Ray Feldmann, acting assistant general manager for communications.

To supplement the cylindrical kiosks, Metro will install new flat LCD screens at Gallery Pl-Chinatown (two screens), Silver Spring and Rosslyn. The flat panel screens will carry the same information as the cylindrical signs.

The cylindrical signs and flat screens are a pilot project that will run through the end of the year. Metro will gather input from customers to determine if the signs become permanent and/or more widespread. The project cost is an estimated $100,000 for a year and is being paid for with advertising revenue that had been designated for customer service and information improvements.
Metro is the first transit property in the United States to use the cylindrical kiosk to provide service information, though transit systems in Europe, Asia and South America already have them.

“I see the new signs as part of a larger effort to provide meaningful information to our customers. I want everyone who rides our buses or trains to have the best experience possible, and this system will help us to achieve that. The signs will provide our customers with real-time system information during all phases of their travel, from the planning stages through the conclusion of their trip,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe.

News release issued at 12:00 am, February 15, 2007.