GERMANY: A public address system which Berlin-based start-up Holoplot has developed with the aim of providing clearer announcements is being trialled on the underground S-Bahn platforms at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, where the high frequency of train services means announcements must be made at very short intervals. 

Holoplot has installed 23 computer-controlled audio modules at 11 locations around the platforms. Each speaker receives its own individual control signal, enabling tightly-defined beams of sound to be  directed at specific areas of the platform. This should mean that passengers will only hear information relevant to them, without hearing announcements for the opposite track.  

The trial began on January 23 and is scheduled to run for six months.

‘Well-understood announcements are a very important component of successful passenger information’, said Prof Knut Ringat, Managing Director of transport authority RMV. ‘We are delighted that Holoplot is celebrating its premiere at the most important transportation hub in the RMV area and we hope that this innovation will soon benefit passengers at other stations as well.’