Sound and Communications - February 2008 Issue

on an emergency message, a cancellation
or anything of length surely
would test the patience of expectant
passengers. “Imagine getting your
newscast on a ticker you’d see on Wall
Street or in Times Square,” declared
Keelor. “It gets trying after awhile:
reading this traveling text, trying to
keep up with it, or wait for an update.”
He explained that IDS had to interface
with the existing LED system so
all their existing functionality would
remain intact, but would also enhance
all the displays’ presentation. “We
were able to go in on a station-by-station
basis to do that. And the way it
was organized in our contract is that
we had pilot stations identified that
served as the test ground for the
mockup for the rest of the stations.
Once we established a mockup of a
working pilot station, we were able to
replicate that and put it in with the
smoothest of transitions without any
interruption.”
ADA Compliance
In order to be ADA compliant, part
of the challenge in making it all work
was that there’s not only a visual display
at each station but there’s also an
audio component that’s heard via a
public address system for the hearing
impaired. Thus, when the TRIP II
would initialize a text message, it would
also trigger an audio message. “A function
called ‘text speech’ takes the text
and creates a Wav file that’s played
back at the station. It’s critical to synchronize
what appears on the screen
with what audio is playing overhead, so
it makes sense,” said Keelor.
VRE’s Woolner hastened to add that
another function of the TRIP system
is that it enables GPS to talk to the
trains. Thus, VRE can track its trains
with GPS “and have constant communications
back and forth [with train
personnel] on certain way points that
we picked along each of the routes.
That includes the Fredericksburg run
to DC’s Union Station, as well as the
Manassas run.” And, as to how the
signage information gets to the monitors
at the stations, he explained that
the display messaging is sent via a
(continued on page 91)
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February 2008 59