DART selects INIT, Kinkisharyo to expand ITS

Following a recent decision by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), INIT has been awarded an additional contract to expand its Vehicle Business System (VBS), including INIT hardware and software by an additional 48 light rail vehicles.

Kinkisharyo International will install INIT’s on-board computer (COPILOTpc), mobile data terminals with built-in card readers, global positioning system (GPS) and GPRS data radio communication. Furthermore, INIT’s automatic passenger counting system, MOBILE-APC, will be implemented and subsequently provide DART with counting accuracy results of 96 percent or better, according to the company.

The on-board computers will provide automatic next stop announcements and communicate vehicle location and event messages to the central computer-aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location system (MOBILE-ITCS). This system will interface to a Public Announcement/Visual Message Board system and the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition system, giving DART passenger’s real-time information at station displays.