Visitors to the 7th Annual UK Light Rail Conference in Manchester this month will be able to see a real time customer information display and a high-tech information management system in operation that offer a range of benefits to light rail system operators and users.
Already proven as a designer and manufacturer of reliable, high quality, low maintenance customer information solutions for heavy rail and bus transport, British company Infotec is now starting to make an impact in light rail.
Infotec displays are already the product of choice for Greater Manchester’s Metrolink system which, by the time it has completed the new extensions to MediaCity UK, Chorlton, Droylsden and Oldham and Rochdale, will be the largest tram network in the UK.
Infotec has also provided the same P1124 displays for use on the soon to be inaugurated Edinburgh tram network. Included in this project are bespoke support posts specifically designed to provide an aesthetically pleasing look to the on street installations.
Procurers for these systems have been impressed by the ease of maintenance, remote display monitoring, configuration, vandal-resistant casings and the ten-year plus life expectancy offered by Infotec’s products.
A popular choice for light rail stations has been the three-line with clock display (P1124). These have been installed on hundreds of heavy railway stations throughout the UK and Infotec is delighted to see them now being used on tram systems too.
Looking ‘behind’ the displays, the advent of mobile phone technology and GPRS makes it possible to deliver data to displays and PA devices, beyond the reach of normal CIS, via Infotec’s display management system (AIM).
The availability of lower cost, larger format TFT displays increases the potential to display "softer" information alongside CIS, with a Content Management System.
Forward-thinking Infotec has developed its Advanced Information Management system (AIM) to undertake both of these roles. Based on a hosted server, AIM controls the content and delivers it to displays over the GPRS mobile phone data system, a local LAN or WAN, or over the internet using ADSL. The AIM System communicates with any installed Infotec displays and PA systems.
Content is managed by a web user interface, allowing images and information to be controlled, ordered and timed remotely.
Demonstrations of Infotec’s P1124 and AIM will run on Stand 2 throughout the exhibition.
Company director of sales and marketing, David Barrett-Hague, says: "Since 1992 Infotec has designed and manufactured systems for most UK heavy railway stations. From here our market has grown into the bus sector, with customers demanding accurate real time information about the transport system they use.
"It is perhaps not surprising that light rail is now starting to see the benefits of our tried and tested products, the solution-centric approach we take to projects and our ability to handle all industry standard data protocols over WAN, LAN, Ethernet, Internet, Serial or GPRS.
"We very much look forward to welcoming guests to our stand and explaining to them what we can offer and how we work."