INIT - Take Advantage of our Experience A Case Study of DART Rail - Dallas, TX
The Future.
In 2012, DART decided to extend the system to the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), their commuter rail line. An AVL system, along with APC technology and on-board, next- stop announcements will be installed on the TRE. Additionally, 19 digital message boards located at ten TRE Photo: Wikipedia.de stations will be installed, giving TRE passengers the same level of service they enjoy on DART rail.
The new technology will seamlessly interface with the existing system at DART Rail and will utilize double-sided, ADA-compliant LED signage which will be installed at five stations in Dallas County and five stations in Tarrant County. The signage, along with the audible next train arrival announcements will increase passenger satisfaction by providing DART and TRE customers with up-to-the-minute information for their travels. Photo:DART As the agency continues to expand their light rail system over the next few years, the innovation and quality of service will only continue to improve.
See the DART case study as published in METRO Magazine, June 2012. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Rail System
Other INIT Rail Projects: The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Rail System substations have to be operational for the light boasts the longest light rail network in the United rail system to work. In the event of loss of utility DART - Dallas, TX RTD - Denver, CO States. The system operates 72 miles of track and power to a substation, the system is designed to HRT - Hampton Roads, VA TRE - Dallas, TX services an annual ridership of over 22 million. provide enough power to compensate. MARTA - Atlanta, GA TriMET - Portland, OR DART and the Fort Worth Transportation Along with multiple awards earned in design and Metro Houston - Houston, TX UTA - Salt Lake, UT Authority (the T) also jointly operate 35 miles of commuter rail. The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) engineering, DART has been a pioneer within the Metro - St. Louis, MO VTA - Santa Clara, CA serves as the link between downtown Dallas and public transit industry. In 2010, the agency MTS - San Diego, CA Fort Worth and offers service to DFW Inter- received two awards for their innovative MUNI - San Francisco, CA national Airport. approach to light rail in Dallas. The Texas Section NCTD - San Diego, CA of the American Society of Civil Engineers DART's light rail is powered by overhead electric recognized DART's Green Line with its Texas lines. Each DART light rail vehicle is a state-of- Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement the-art example of modern rail technology. A Award. That same year, the Greater Dallas We reserve the right to make future modifications. © INIT, May 2012 "catenary system" of two electrical cables Planning Council awarded DART the 2010 BUILT For further information please contact: provides stable working voltage for all trains on Award for Urban Design. More recently, DART the 72-mile, 55-station system. received the Design-Build Institute of America‘s (DBIA) 2011 Transportation Owner of the Year DART is unusual in that it has one of the few – Rail Award for the successful use of the design- variable voltage power distribution systems in build approach in its capital expansion. North America. Each substation is polled for Contact: INIT energy usage and voltages are varied according to Andreas Rakebrandt Innovations in Transportation, Inc. energy used and energy needed. Not all Director of Business Development, NA 1420 Kristina Way, Suite 101 Automatic Passenger Counting Chesapeake, VA 23320 • USA 757-413-9100 ext. 304 Tel. (757) 413 9100 • Fax (757) 413 5019 [email protected] [email protected] The Future of Mobility The Future of Mobility DART Establishes an Advanced Transportation Service in Dallas
Challenges. Solution.
Operating the largest light rail network in the United In 2009, DART partnered with INIT, Innovations in States is no small feat. Based on the agency's five-year Transportation Inc., a global ITS solutions provider, to strategic plan to focus on customer needs, strive for provide a Vehicle Business System (VBS) for their light continual improvement and deliver quality service, DART rail network. The system would address the challenges pursued an ITS solution that would help them better faced by DART and assist them in achieving their manage their fleet and service their passengers. A strategic goals. A comprehensive fleet management “The INIT system primary goal was to track trains throughout the city with system was purchased along with Automatic Vehicle has given us the greater accuracy than the existing Supervisory Control Location (AVL) technology, Automatic Passenger Counting ability to snapshot any region and and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system allowed. technology (APC) and on-board signs and announcements. By partnering with INIT, DART realized several look at it in real-time to see trains The SCADA system left a few dark areas within its advantages, not just on the operations side, but on the moving in and out of the region.” tracking system so the dispatchers could not discern the
passenger side as well. The new system afforded them Photo: DART exact location of a train within a block. In addition, the tools to efficiently manage their light rail fleet and Allan Steele, DART VP/CIO. DART's route information contained limited time points better serve their riders. Having real-time information DART Rail stations are adding variable message boards to on the schedule which made it difficult for train arrival provide real-time information at the stations for their available was a service improvement that ultimately prediction at the stops. Because of this, DART could not passengers. Plans are also in the works to include message increased passenger satisfaction. boards at Trinity Railway Express (TRE) stations. automatically notify passengers of a train's estimated arrival time or of delays. Results. For train operators, the mobile data terminals gave them For DART dispatchers, being able to track vehicles - above the ability to log on using a built-in card reader. From ground with GPS and through the tunnels via logical there, all timing information was displayed for each stop positioning - was a step towards safety and operational on the route giving the operator the correct information efficiency. This was accomplished through the on-board to help him or her know when to leave the station. For mobile data terminal where operators logged on to a safety reasons, DART specified that the displays go dark block and trip, allowing them to communicate with the while the vehicle is in motion to avoid operator central ITS system. This communication - every 20 distraction. As soon as the train stops at the station, the seconds via GPRS - gave DART dispatchers location driver displays light up with all the necessary information displayed right at their workstations inside information. the control center. The real time ETA could now be sent to On the passenger side, the advantages of the automatic the station signs for next train arrival information for on-board and at-station announcements were loud and the waiting passengers. INIT's APC sensors contain IR laser sensors using the time-of-flight (TOF) technology for a consistent counting accuracy rate of 98%. clear. DART generated the announcement files at the central site and uploaded them via WLAN to the trains and stops where passengers could be kept up to date in real- Capture of train operational statistics such as precise time. It was becoming clear: the new system was just what arrival and departure times and passenger loads was a they needed to move forward and accomplish their manual process, and other statistics like dwell times and objectives. door opening events were captured only by limited sampling.
In addition to the difficulty with tracking and predicting DART Vehicle Business System train arrival and departure times, passengers onboard Automatic Vehicle Location or at the stops relied solely on train operators to make Real-Time Passenger Information announcements. Messages were not always articulated clearly, and making the announcements added to operator Automatic Passenger Counters workload. DART needed a way to give passengers stop Automated Voice Announcements information consistently and with clarity – an important Schedule Adherence Module part of their approach to ensuring the safety and security Photo: DART Onboard Data Terminals of their passengers and employees. The AVL system gives dispatchers the vehicle positions in map, line and block displays.