Improved platform level sign pilot at Lake Merritt Station
Customers at Lake Merritt are getting a glimpse of the future – improved flat screen platform level displays suspended from the ceiling in an easy-to-read full color format. The left side provides a constant feed of information about the next trains due to arrive at the station.
When a train enters the station, the display shows the line illustrated by color (e.g., Yellow line), the number of cars on the train and whether it’s a Fleet of the Future or a legacy train.
“Side by side messaging is significant because riders will get uninterrupted train arrival information instead of rotating scrolling messages,” said Alicia Trost, BART’s Chief Communications Officer. “Introducing color is a welcomed upgrade from the current red dot matrix signs and allows us to integrate the various BART line colors to help riders navigate our system.”
Meanwhile, the right side of the flat screen display features customer service information, such as elevator availability.
The first of the new displays went live early Friday morning. If the pilot program at Lake Merritt Station goes well, 19th St. Station would be next in line for the upgrade.
While the signs look new, BART engineers refer to them as retrofitted. That’s because BART’s Maintenance and Engineering staff devised a way to replace the old LED displays with the full color monitors while keeping the existing framework and wiring. The pilot program aims to demonstrate that this is an efficient, cost-effective method to get more information to customers.
