NETWORK NEWS
Help at hand for First Group’s TransPennine Express
Passengers heading to Leeds or York from Warrington Central or to Scarborough from Birchwood, can now get the information they need, where they need it most; on the platform. Two state-of-the-art digital help points have been installed on the TransPennine Express network as part of the £12 million investment being made by First Group plc into station improvements; in turn part of a £260 million upgrade programme.
With plans to roll the service out on all 30 TransPennine Express stations, these first interactive touch screen units represent the beginning of an information revolution at station level to provide passengers with up-to-the-minute information at their finger tips. Real-time departures and disruptions from National Rail Enquiries (NRES), a local taxi finder, station maps and local weather are the first services to be piloted on the new network.
The TransPennine units are a customised model from the Smart Help Point family of products, newly developed by Cityspace to provide a greater sense of security in public transport areas.
Ideal for unmanned public areas like station platforms, bus stops and even urban hubs, the robust and vandal resistant design provides an easy to use voice connected emergency service. The Smart Help Point also supports useful visitor information services such as real-time bus and rail timetables, journey planning and interchange and local maps.
