12 ESSER Roadshows around the world - ESSER by Honeywell

Clear message with the new
audio system in the central
railway station of Munich
Who has not yet experienced it? At the time of leaving the train, a message is heard through
the audio system saying where the connecting train departs from. Very often the voice is too
soft to understand the details. Bad acoustics, background noise, hall or other interference
frequently limit the clear reception of important information and, therefore, the ability to react
accordingly. Therefore, under certain circumstances you wait alongside the wrong track for
the connecting train – and the day quickly passes by.
Such a situation cannot occur any more at the
central railway station in Munich. A professio-
nal audio system was commissioned here in
August 2011 by Dr. Andreas Scheuer, Secre-
tary of State in the Federal Ministry for Trans-
port, Construction and City Development, and
Günther Pichler, Chairman of the Bayern
Region at DB Station&Service AG, so the age
of “Hi-Fi” had arrived to the central
railway station in Munich.
The in-
stalled VARIODYN ® D1
system contains in its com-
plete version 74 digital output
modules (DOM), 128 digital
power amplifiers (2XD250),
23 emergency power sup-
plies and 12 universal inter-
face modules, enabling train
dispatch by means of preset
audio files; the train attendant
can simply play the adequa-
te voice message by the pressing a button on
the platform. To inform the passengers, the in-
stalled components were split into a total of 32
call zones or loudspeaker groups. The PAMMI
software was introduced here in connection with
two DCS15 digital call stations and two touch
screens for live announcements in the Mf. signal
control center. Two DCSF-12 digital fire briga-
de call stations enable the making of voice an-
nouncements by action forces in cases of emer-
gency. The new central equipment room, being
the center of the whole system, hosts 27 switch
cabinets and enables the making of clear voice
announcements in the whole traffic area.
Obviously, high quality announcements shall be
ensured in all areas of the railway station; this
is not an easy task if we consider the arrange-
ment of the numerous additional office rooms:
In the Eastern section of the main hall, several
catering establishments and smaller shops are
located on the ground and first floors. Addition-
ally, there is an extensive shopping mall in the
basement floor of the central railway station. A
hotel was built in the southern part of the buil-
ding. In an emergency situation,
everybody – without exception –
present in the central railway
station must receive the important information.
Fire brigade announcements
have the highest priority
The connection of the voice announcement
system to the existing fire alarm system is still in
the planning stage. The connection of the two
systems enables a completely automatic eva-
cuation of the central railway station, although
complete automation is not desired in an
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