SMRT Active Route Map Information System

Active Route Map

Vacuum Fluorescent Displays (VFD)

The SMRT Active Route Map Information System (stylized as STARiS) is a rail travel information system developed in house by communications engineers from SMRT Corporation for its North South Line and East West Line trains in Singapore.^[1] This system was officially announced on November 7, 2008 and firstly installed on a Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 train, trainset 053/054 for a 2-month trial. This was later extended to other trains from February 2009.

History

An earlier tested version of the Active Route Map had the North South Line and East West Line map with a black background and had an additional LED screen capable of displaying text. The text and station symbols were also not in the standard Land Transport Authority (LTA) font and design while the light indicating the side doors would open was a single small light. Only some of the remaining unrefurbished C151 trains uses it until November 2007.

Later on, beginning from trainset 053/054 as a refurbished train, this has since been modified to the current version based on the LTA font, symbols and based on a white background with a separate VFD for displaying text located aside from the Active Route Map and 6 LED bulbs now indicate the side train doors open. The STARIS maps was updated from June 2013 to 1 July 2014 to include new stations added to the MRT System such as Marina South Pier MRT Station.

The next generation "STARiS version 2.0" is currently being developed. It will have real-time multi-purpose displays that features landmarks in the vicinity of a station when the train arrives at a station. Animated advertisements will also be available. The STARIS 2.0 was presented during the Customer Experience Innovation Conference on 21 January 2016 and will be installed on 50 new trains servicing the North South East West Lines from the second half of 2016.^[2] C751B trainset 321/322 had a trial version of "STARiS version 2.0" installed on set 322, but it was scrapped.

Overview

STARiS comprises a system of 4 Vacuum Fluorescent Displays (VFD) mounted at an angle from the ceiling and 8 active route maps mounted above every door in each car. The VFDs indicate the train service's direction of travel, terminal station, side of doors opening, doors closing messages, current station, next station, interchange station and displays multi-language text synchronized with in-train audio announcements. The active route maps indicate the line of travel, direction of travel, side of doors opening, current station, next station, terminal station, interchange station and the corresponding line for interchange.

References

1. "STARiS". SGTrains.
2. "New Display panels for SMRT Trains".