The aim of the trial is to establish whether the new technology could address the problem of uneven passenger distribution. NS says it is common for passengers to be standing in one vehicle when only half of the seats are occupied in another. By addressing this imbalance, NS hopes the further lengthening of trains can be avoided.
Trials of the system are underway on platform 18 at Utrecht Central. This platform is used by double-deck Amsterdam - Eindhoven inter-city trains, which operate at 10-minute headways.
The information screens on the platform show the standard travel information as well as scheduled departure time and the remaining time until departure. Below this, an image of the train is displayed using a ‘traffic light’ system to denote the occupancy level in each vehicle.
Ten seconds before departure a countdown clock begins running to warn passengers on the platform that the doors will be closing.
