Amtrak, Md. MTA add new electronic signage

Amtrak, in partnership with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), deployed new, electronic, ADA-compliant passenger information displays (PIDs) at Baltimore Penn Station.

The signs communicate real-time train status, general boarding announcements, and security messages in both audible and visual formats. More than 30 PIDs were installed on the platforms for tracks four through seven as well as the concourse of the historic station.

The $1.8 million project, which began in July 2013 and was completed this May, was co-funded by Amtrak and the MTA through the Joint Benefits Agreement between the two agencies.

This is the second and final phase of a project to upgrade the train information and visual messaging functionality at the station. Phase 1 was completed in 2012 when Baltimore Penn Station was one of three Maryland stations selected to pilot Amtrak’s standardized ADA-compliant PIDs system.

In the last four years, $9.5 million worth of improvements have been completed at Baltimore Penn Station, delivering new restrooms, improved platform lighting, plaza enhancements, and other safety and security measures. An additional $4 million worth of projects are underway or in design.