We designed and developed a passenger information system for Virginia Railway Express (VRE). Over 14,000 passengers a day rely on our system for real-time schedule information as they await their train.

Our system automatically shows schedule information on electronic signs and makes public address announcements over loud speakers at each station. It also provides the capability for VRE operators to create free-form messages for immediate display at one or more stations. The intuitive web-based interface makes this system easy to use.

Part of what makes this system unique is the use of text-to-speech technology for audio announcements. This technology allows all audio messages to be specified as text. This allows even free-form audio announcements to be playing at all stations within seconds from their inception...an important feature in the event of an emergency. Contrast this to systems that use recorded voice, in which the actual recording of the voice and delivery to one or more stations takes minutes or longer.

Click here for a sample audio clip generated by our system using the Speechify text-to-speech engine.

In addition to its announcement capabilities, our system provides complete archiving of each electronic sign and audio message displayed/played at each station. A simple web page allows a system operator to easily retrieve the archived data to resolve passenger discrepancies or to help in reconstructing scenarios to improve incident response procedures. Various other features exist to help in monitoring the system status as well as the status of each electronic sign and audio system.

Contact us to obtain a user ID and password to access our development system for a free demo, or to speak with us about the technical aspects of this system.