On Monday, MTA New York City Transit officials announced that real-time train arrival countdown clocks or message screens are now operational and being tested at several stations along the 23 lines in Brooklyn.
Funded by the 2000 – 2004 MTA Capital Program, the Public Address Customer Information Screen (PA/CIS) system is now in the process of being activated for customer use at stations along the IRT or numbered lines (123456) system wide. PA/CIS offers subway customers audio and visual train arrival information. The expansion of the screens to Brooklyn follows the successful rollout of similar message boards at eleven stations in the Bronx along the Pelham 6 line.
The PA/CIS system is a major component of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's effort to substantially upgrade customer communications across its entire network and marks an important milestone in the effort to provide subway customers with up-to-date travel information employing 21st Century technology.
The PA/CIS screen provides train arrival messages in audio and video. The messages indicate when the next two trains are due to arrive at the station and their destinations. Aside from train arrivals, the system also allows NYC Transit to provide both audio and visual messages to customers, keeping them fully informed about service delays or emergency situations.
PA/CIS is being rolled out incrementally with 152 stations on the IRT numbered lines operational by the first quarter of 2011. PA/CIS was first introduced along the Canarsie L line in January 2007.