On Wednesday, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) announced the launch of a public beta test of DepartureVision, a new service that displays train departure boards on mobile devices, such as iPhones, Blackberries or Web-enabled cell phones.
With DepartureVision, customers can view actual train departure screens — including arrival time, track assignment and train status — right in the palm of their hand.
NJ Transit is the first transit agency in the region to provide this service on mobile devices.
The beta test of the service will take place over a period of six to eight weeks, using train departure boards for Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction — an ideal test environment because of the large number of customers that transfer at the station. NJ Transit will collect feedback over the pilot period and incorporate it when the technology is launched more broadly in the months ahead.
Among the benefits of DepartureVision, customers traveling to Secaucus Junction will be able to view connecting track information before arriving at the station. Similarly, customers who use the new Meadowlands Rail Line to travel to and from football games or major events will be able to check their Secaucus connections from Giants Stadium.
As an additional benefit, users can click on an individual train to see a list of stations it serves. Customers can access the new system by visiting njtransit.com from their Web-enabled mobile device.
