New Digital CIS at Saltcoats

[mbreckers]

Reported on Twitter earlier today: https://twitter.com/YiannisSeglias/status/692270640871673856

Blackbox Company has completed a major milestone installing the first two platforms of it pioneering Digital CIS (Digital Customer Information Screens) at an Abellio ScotRail station. The DCIS cloud platform has been designed from the ground up to enhances the passenger experience on platform through real time, animated, graphical 'information at a glance' updates. This new innovative solution is capable of delivering important real time service updates, safety notices, rich multi media content and social media feeds via Blackbox DCIS Cloud Platform.


The Blackbox team has worked in partnership with Abellio Group and ScotRail over the past 18 months to pioneer the DCIS capabilities for on platform use for passengers and staff. Further planned releases will be phased in throughout 2016 to ensure TOC's are enabled in building a real time digital capability across their entire estate including in control rooms, stations, platforms, retail outlets and other key 'out of station' locations.


This is not only a milestone for the amazing team at Blackbox that turn concepts into reality, but it represents a turning point for the industry, proving that switching customer information screens over to 'Digital CIS' is clearly the route for improved communication and engagement with passengers on platform.

New "digital" Customer Information Screens have been installed at Saltcoats station on the Ayrshire Coast Line. Aside from the usual information CIS provides, these can also offer "rich multi media content" and "social media feeds"

oh and of course the cloud is involved

What do people think of these new screens? They definitely look nice, and seem to provide clear information, but are they going to eventually be overrun with adverts and other social media nonsense?

 

[Railsigns]

designed from the ground up

to enhances [sic] the passenger experience

new innovative solution

turn concepts into reality

Blimey. Anyone fancy a game of Bullsh*t Bingo?

 

[SeanG]

I think that it seems clearer than the usual orange and black LED boards, not that there is a problem with those however...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Moving to LCD does give the possibility of graphical train formation display, which would be a good benefit.

Isn't the "following services" font on that a bit small, does it comply with disability related regulations?

 

[mbreckers]

Moving to LCD does give the possibility of graphical train formation display, which would be a good benefit.

Isn't the "following services" font on that a bit small, does it comply with disability related regulations?

I suppose that it will probably look bigger in person, the photo has been taken at a weird angle as well

 

[Bodiddly]

Blimey. Anyone fancy a game of Bullsh*t Bingo?

That's not very blue sky thinking of you, we need to bat that one out the park...
Call me an old cynic but will these be used to sell advertising? :-?

 

[Blindtraveler]

I share your Sinicism

 

[swt_passenger]

I think that it seems clearer than the usual orange and black LED boards, not that there is a problem with those however...

Aren't they 'digital' as well, in terms of the underlying IT?

 

[greatkingrat]

That's not very blue sky thinking of you, we need to bat that one out the park...
Call me an old cynic but will these be used to sell advertising? :-?

Why else would they need to display "rich multimedia content"?

 

[mbreckers]

Aren't they 'digital' as well, in terms of the underlying IT?

I imagine they will use the same backend for train running information, probably just pull it from a Network Rail server farm.

Then the new CIS backend will display that information how it wants to, format it, put in other stuff such as "rich multimedia content" and then display it to the end user (you and me)

 

[talltim]

The question is, are they salt water proof?

 

[380101]

The question is, are they salt water proof?

Station is far enough away from the sea to not be affected by the sea wall being breached during stormy weather.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Station is far enough away from the sea to not be affected by the sea wall being breached during stormy weather.

There's a bit of a new and improved sea wall going in too, I believe.

 

[380101]

There's a bit of a new and improved sea wall going in too, I believe.

The new "improved" sea wall is a complete farce! It won't make a bit of difference to water coming over and affecting the OHLE. Plenty of water crashing over the section they have installed so far and just doing the normal of tripping the power supply and causing the line to be close to electric trains.

 

[jopsuk]

that it can be photographed so well bodes well for it being clear and crisp in real life

 

[CC 72100]

Moving to that sort of display reminds me very much of the French system:

'Next trains board' : http://malignea.transilien.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/infogare-1.jpg

'Next train info board' : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Ecran_d'Infogare_en_gare_du_Nord_souterraine.jpg

 

[mbreckers]

that it can be photographed so well bodes well for it being clear and crisp in real life

but that doesnt necessarily account for any photoshopping or other image adjustments that might have went on before publishing the picture

 

[dcsprior]

Aren't they 'digital' as well, in terms of the underlying IT?

Gosh, I'd love to see some analogue IT

 

[mbreckers]

Couple more pictures

I may very well take a trip to Saltcoats in the next week.

Couple of things I dont see on it, no mention of what TOC it is (dont all others say ScotRail?) and does not mention how many carriages the service is formed of, which ScotRail are currently rolling out

[Mods: I dont know how to fix the image going off screen, help pls?]

 

[Bletchleyite]

That looks nice and clear. I think it does need a nice graphical formation display on it, though. Something like those on www.reisezuege.ch.

 

[mark-h]

How well does it pass the 'ned' test?

 

[swt_passenger]

Gosh, I'd love to see some analogue IT

Exactly. Beats me why these firms still highlight 'digital' as some sort of next big thing. It isn't exactly new...

 

[Ze Random One]

I am surprised no-one has yet pointed out the similarities with Nederlandse Spoorwegen's new platform screens. link. Given the operators' owner...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Must admit my first thought was "I wonder if that's the same system NS use".

 

[laseandre]

As long as it doesn't end up turning into Montreal Metrovision we're alright...

 

[mbreckers]

As long as it doesn't end up turning into Montreal Metrovision we're alright...

Do Network Rail or ORR have regulations on what can be displayed on CIS's?

 

[Starmill]

Very curious that there is no TOC information.

 

[jopsuk]

Not really any need for TOC information at a station served by a single TOC

 

[mbreckers]

Not really any need for TOC information at a station served by a single TOC

Except when Abellio took over the ScotRail franchise they went out their way to put TOC information in all announcements at ScotRail stations, including all stations where only ScotRail operate from

For example: "The next train at Platform 1 is the 1701 ScotRail service to blah blah blah"

 

[Starmill]

The point is it's a standard piece of information to display. Yes there are locations where under certain circumstances it may be appropriate to leave it out, and I agree that this may well be one of them. As long as we are being consistent with where it is and is not shown.