MetroRiderLA

I was hoping to be the first to break this momentous event, but alas that wiley Militant Angeleno beat me to it.

At long last, Metro has implemented train arrival time information to its flashy “new” (actually, they’ve been around for nearly a year now) transit passenger information system (TPIS) displays.  The previously previously pretty but shallow (perhaps they were trying to live up to the Los Angeles stereotype?) displays now offer some depth by providing information that is of actual use to riders rather than no-brainer safety notices.  The arrival times of the next trains are now displayed under the name of their respective destinations.  This simple bit of information, absent for so long for God-only-knows why, is sure to make a lot of MetroRiders very happy. The looks of amazement from the people on the platform at 7th Street Metro Center this morning confirmed that.

So is it all we’ve hoped for and more?  Well, for Los Angeles MetroRiders acustomed to nothing, the information is certainly an achievement.  But upon closer inspection some flaws are revealed.  I spoke to a friend yesterday about the next train information, and he observed that the trains seemed to arrive a minute earlier than the time on the display.  The Militant’s findings also come to this conclusion.  My personal experience today revealed the same thing, which can only mean that the times displayed are not “live” but simply the scheduled time.  While this is a step-up from having to refer to the paper schedule, it doesn’t really use the technology to its fullest extent, and will surely leave people bewildered when the actual train arrival times don’t match the displayed times.

The Militant also noted that, coincidentally, the next train information is displayed in Military Time while the current time is displayed using a 12-hour clock.  I couldn’t confirm this since I was on the platform in the morning, but obviously the clocks for a train for civilians should be set to the standard clock that civilians are used to.  The Militant also contends that the information is not presented in what is not necessarily the most user-friendly way.  He would prefer to see a countdown clock (as in “Next Train in 5 minutes“) rather than a time-based clock.  I tend to agree.

One other issue I noticed is that the information for all tracks is presented on all the screens, which leaves things unnecessarily confusing for noobs.  If I’m waiting for the Union Station bound train on Track 2, why do I need to see the ETA’s of the North Hollywood and Wilshire/Western bound trains on the other track, and vice versa.  Furthermore, as the next train approaches it should be highlighted on the display, which would be especially helpful in solving the classic “is this the North Hollywood or Wilshire/Western train?” conundrum.

Complaints aside, this is a huge step forward for Metro and an invaluable addition for MetroRiders.  The previous lack of information in our Metro stations showed a lack of respect for riders, their schedules, and their desire to know when the hell they can expect their ride to come.  By providing this information, and thus respect to their customers, Metro has successfully improved their service and will have a much easier time attracting and keeping new riders while retaining the old.  Nice job!

More pix after the jump.

(more…)

Metro slowly inches forward in providing its customers with essential transit information.  At Union Station, the fancy new Transit Passenger Information System (TPIS) displays have been updated at long last to include a tiny bit more transit passenger information.  The displays now show a message specifying which train on the platform will be departing next.  This information has the potential to help the somewhat minor passenger conundrum of trying to guess which train to get on if there are two trains waiting on the platform.  Unfortunately this information is only of use to those who are not traveling beyond Wilshire/Vermont as the displays do not inform passengers of whether the next departing train is a Red Line train or a Purple Line train.  As you can see in the photograph, the signage still implies the the train is headed to both North Hollywood and Wilshire/Western, and in fact in my mind the visual hierarchy implies that North Hollywood and Wilshire Western are the next upcoming station stops.  Criticisms aside, it’s nice to see Metro attempting to do a little bit more with these pricey displays, it may seem like a tiny step forward now, but it’s a step forward nonetheless.