Automated station notification announcements

Anyone know how the automated station announcements, .e.g., "Now approaching Park Ridge" work on the Metra trains? Is it a wireless system that links to lineside readers or a canned program (as expresses don't announce stations that are run through)?

At the beginning of the run, the conductor enters the train number into the Geofocus computer onboard the train. The computer is programmed with the train schedules so it knows which stops the train will make. Once the train is underway, the GPS system tracks the train's location and activates the announcements at the appropriate times.

Also, if it is running late, an announcement can be made about how late it is and why.

Is that the same system they use on CTA trains? They both sound very similar.

No, CTA's system is quite different. It does not use GPS; the announcements for each route, as well as other periodic announcements, are programmed in order but the operator must push a putton to activate each announcement as they progress along the route.

Cool. Thanks! Do you know who makes the system? So it's triggered by specific lat-lon coordinates?

Metra's announcement system was developed by GeoFocus. I'm not sure exactly how it works beyond that it uses GPS to track the train's location and annunciate at the proper times.

MikeF wrote:No, CTA's system is quite different. It does not use GPS; the announcements for each route, as well as other periodic announcements, are programmed in order but the operator must push a putton to activate each announcement as they progress along the route.

Ah ha! That's why when I rode the CTA it never seemed to mess up with announcements, but my hometown system usually seems to have a location identity crisis most of the time.

octr202 wrote:Ah ha! That's why when I rode the CTA it never seemed to mess up with announcements, but my hometown system usually seems to have a location identity crisis most of the time.

Actually, "it" messes up all the time. But it's really the motorman messing up, not the computer.

Also: For curiosity's sake, does anyone know how the "PSA" type messages on the Metra are triggered? Not talking about the emergency exit window one, but the ones like "this train is operating x minutes behind schedue", "no seat is reserved, please do not inconvenience other customers", "please refrain from placing your feet on the seats" etc. My thought was that the newer coach cars have little computers in one of those P.A. type boxes in the vestibule, but somehow, I have never visually confirmed this.

EricL wrote:My thought was that the newer coach cars have little computers in one of those P.A. type boxes in the vestibule, but somehow, I have never visually confirmed this.

Yes, the GeoFocus keypad units are in a small locked stainless steel cabinet in the vestibule; I would guess there is also some sort of antenna on top of the car. Occasionally you'll see the cabinet left open after the conductor makes an entry. I would guess that's also where they activate the other late-train and courtesy announcements. The cabinet is in different positions in the different generations of cars, with some above the doors and others beside or opposite the door controls.

I'm not sure that every car has one (nor would ever car need one since the PA is wired throughout the train). My best guess would be that at least the ADA cars have them since each consist would include at least one ADA car. (The control cars would also make sense since each train has one of those, but I think the ADA car might be more convenient since even with a small crew someone would be working the ADA car at stations to help disabled passengers board.)

My understanding is that the GeoFocus data are also somehow uplinked to Metra's operations center, allowing them to monitor the position and speed of each train in real time. Do any of you know more about that? Also, when schedules change, are the units reprogrammed by carrying a laptop computer to each car and uploading the new data and messages to it?

MikeF wrote:No, CTA's system is quite different. It does not use GPS; the announcements for each route, as well as other periodic announcements, are programmed in order but the operator must push a putton to activate each announcement as they progress along the route.

I had guessed that was basically how the CTA trains worked, based on seeing/hearing motormen scroll through the announcements at the beginning of the run to get to the right one, and sometimes starting to play the previous station's announcement but then advancing it mid-announcement to the correct one.

But my impression is that the route annunciator on the buses is GPS-based. Is that correct? (I know, this is rr.net, not bus.net, so I'll stop there.)

Some answers in digest form:

- As far as I know, the Geofocus boxes are in the vestibules of cab cars only. At least, that was the case with the older cars. Perhaps the 6000's have them too; I haven't noticed.

- The "courtesy" and late-train announcements are manually triggered by the trainmen. The standard safety announcements at the terminals ("Please take a moment to familarize yourself ...") are automatic.

- Yes, Metra can use the GPS data to track trains in real-time.

- Yes, the announcement system aboard CTA buses is GPS-based.