Amtrak is set to replace its current Solari board at William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia (PHL) with a new, digital Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) that will help further its efforts to modernize the station. As part of the project, Amtrak is also replacing the display boards at each gate, the software that runs the displays, as well as the public address system and the platform displays all of which will now be ADA compliant.
“The new, digital and state-of-the-art PIDS board that will take its place allows us to have a more modern and tech-friendly station with an ADA compliant display board,” said Amtrak VP of Passenger Accessibility David Handera.
The project will start in December by upgrading the boards at each gate, with the removal of the current Solari board taking place in January. The new PIDS board, which will display gate and track information and have ADA features, is expected to come online at the end of the month. Once the new PIDS board is in place and operational, Amtrak will then finish its work by upgrading the rest of its display boards in ClubAcela Lounge, the food court, on the platforms and in other areas of the station.
The upgrade of the PIDS board at PHL comes on the heels of Amtrak already replacing PIDS across its national network in an effort to modernize its stations, meet the ADA guidelines and improve the customer experience. Amtrak is also in the midst of a larger, station refresh initiative at PHL, which includes upgrading the Amtrak ClubAcela Lounge, a recently installed a lactation suite to provide mothers with a clean, dignified and private space to pump and nurse at 30th Street Station, and the retrofitting of eight of the moveable wooden waiting benches on with power outlets for portable and mobile devices.
Amtrak operates approximately 120 daily trains in the state of Pennsylvania, with more than 4.4 million riders traveling in and out of PHL during its 2018 Fiscal Year, making it the third busiest station in the national Amtrak system.
(Source: Amtrak)
