Passengers boarding train no.103 on the 54-km Phase I Network of Chennai Metro Rail can catch a glimpse of a new dynamic route map, which displays details such as the nearest landmark, time, and speed of the train. The map will feature an LED-backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) screen showing a variety of details.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the train’s final stop is displayed at top of the screen, with the current and next stations at the bottom left. To make it easy for commuters to track the route, the names of the approaching stations are also displayed with an arrow in between to indicate the direction. At the top right, the time, temperature, and speed of the train are shown. In addition, the picture of a landmark close to the approaching station is seen on the right side of the panel.
Announcements, such as those about staying away from the closing doors, also appear as scrolling messages on the screen. Whenever the train makes a stop, the names of the current station and those of the preceding two and next two stations are displayed.
So far, the train only had 16 static route maps displaying the station names. Now, four of the 16 static route maps in the train have been replaced with the new display system, officials said.
“The train has been running on corridor 2 (Chennai Airport to Chennai Central) of the Phase I Network for nearly a week now, and we have been continuously checking if the displays are working properly. So far, there have been no problems. We will soon install it in a second train before implementing it in the others,” an official said.
By August, CMRL plans to install the dynamic route map on all 52 trains of the Phase I Network. Vijayalakshmi, a Chennai Metro Rail commuter, said the new map would be particularly useful for a first-time commuter. “When such people board the train, this new map will help them keep track of the route and ensure they deboard at the right station,” she added.
Published - February 08, 2025 07:50 pm IST
