LRT passengers get real-time news onboard

THE Light Rail Transit Authority, LRT-2 operator, launched on Friday its Passenger Assist- Rail Display System ( PARDS) that provides passengers on board realtime news, emergency advisories, and the schedule of train arrival and departure.

The project, unveiled at the LRT- 2 Cubao station, is a proprietary technology, provided at no cost to the government, by Trackmate Business Solutions, an all-Filipino technology company, the LRTA said.

According to LRTA, the PARDS is powered by GPS and updated in the cloud, then translated into an audio-video display. Forty digital display monitors will be installed in each train set.

A mobile phone application will also be developed (IOS and Android) for commuters.

system will undergo moderniza- tion and upgrading, according to LRTA Administrator General Reynaldo Berroya.

“We will modernize the air conditioning unit to be more environment friendly, energy efficient and compliant with the Clean Air Act”, Berroya said but noted that ample time is required for the bidding, manufacturing, delivery, installation and commissioning process.

The systematic replacement is expected to start in November this year and be completed in 2018. Rehabilitation, on the other hand, has already started, Berroya said.

“Defective elevators and escalators at the stations, the systematic replacement of the air conditioning units of the 10 operational trains and the restoration of four down trains are the main focus of rehabilitation this year,” he said.