A new large format full matrix main passenger information display board and more than 30 single-sided portrait LED displays are being supplied by Infotec as part of an £250,000 order for the revamp of Waterloo Station in London.
Platforms which once welcomed Eurostar trains into the city and those that have been unused since international services moved to St Pancras International are to be reopened after an £800m station overhaul.
London Waterloo is the UK’s busiest station, carrying more than half a million passengers every day and more than 222 million every year, an increase of more than 100% in just 20 years. A train arrives or departs virtually every minute during peak times.
The last international service departed from the £120m terminal in 2007, 13 years after it opened. Since then platforms 20 to 24 have lain dormant.
The government-funded remodelling is seeing 50ft of the former Eurostar tracks cemented over to provide customers with a large concourse and former passport control desks removed and replaced by self-service ticket barriers. Next train indicators designed and manufactured by Infotec are being installed here.
The revamped platforms will benefit from the introduction of longer ten-carriage trains running between Waterloo and Windsor and Eton Riverside. To promote passenger distribution on platforms, full matrix LED information displays are being installed along their lengths.
These have been designed to match line-based displays which Infotec has provided in the past for the station, but while the new models superficially look the same they offer advanced functionality and much smoother transitions.
Four 55in LED displays, originally purpose-designed for this contract, are now being offered as part of Infotec’s standard range.
The Waterloo order, placed with Infotec by Fourway Communications for a project by an alliance involving South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, Skanska, Colas Rail, AECOM and Mott MacDonald, is valued at more than £250,000.
As well as the hardware, the order includes Infotec’s Tetrus controller to drive the display range. This dedicated controller took five years to develop and is at the heart of almost everything Infotec produces.
Tetrus incorporates the latest in software and graphical interfaces to meet the ever-increasing demands of the information age. Its benefits include fan-less, low power consumption; high definition multimedia control; audio and text to speech capabilities and resilient self-healing technology.
Platform extension work is taking place at Waterloo during August 2017 and the entire project is scheduled for completion by December 2018.
Commenting on the contract, Infotec managing director Tim Court says: “We are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious work.
“It confirms that the new generation of displays we have created meets the needs of a 21st century audience and shows the customer service we have provided to London Waterloo over the years is valued.
“It also demonstrates that our latest displays link perfectly with ones we produced in the past, ensuring consistency of appearance throughout the station.”