The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the US plans to track its commuter trains via GPS to provide estimated arrival times on station platforms, US publication the Boston Now says.
The planned GPS system, called Next Train, is expected to cost $5.3m to build and works by transmitting the information onto LED displays and automated public-address announcements.
LED signs are already in place in Boston at Porter Square, West Newton and Auburndale station platforms. It is expected the technology will enable passengers to better plan their journeys. Buses already have on-board GPS transmitters, and subway trains are connected by hard wire to central control rooms but the information is not currently available to passengers.
The project is expected to begin this summer and take 14 months to complete.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of satellites placed into orbit by the US Department of Defence. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use.
