Foto (image cropped): © Rob Dammers – Wikimedia Commons
Ruf Group has been commissioned by the Swiss rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler Rail to supply the passenger information system VisiWeb® for eleven new FLIRT 3 vehicles. The three-car electric multiple units (EMUs) were ordered by rail operator Arriva Netherlands and will be in service in the Dutch province of Limburg from the end of 2024. Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands, located in the border region with Germany and Belgium.
Complementing the existing fleet
The eleven new multiple units will complement the existing fleet of 23 vehicles. In 2016, 15 two-car FLIRTs went into service in Limburg, followed two years later by eight three-car multi-system FLIRTs. The latter operate in cross-border service between Holland, Germany and Belgium. All existing vehicles are equipped with Ruf’s VisiWeb passenger information system and have been operating reliably ever since.
Full compatibility
The proven VisiWeb system will also provide information and safety for passengers in the new FLIRTs to be delivered. VisiWeb guarantees full compatibility of the information system between old and new vehicles, which means that both generations can be operated together in multiple traction.
Visual information
The new vehicles will receive the VisiWeb overall system. On the outside, the PIS system includes line number and destination displays integrated on the fronts and sides, which inform passengers as they enter the station and when they stop.
Double-TFT-displays in an existing Arriva FLIRT (©Magicman0361 Wikimedia Commons)
In the passenger area, passengers are informed via double TFT displays. While one of the monitors shows the route of the journey by means of a so-called pearl cord, the second one provides information about the next connections at the stations. Thanks to VisiWeb infotainment software, the latter is also able to play streamed content such as operating information, news or advertising.
Acoustic information
The VisiWeb acoustic system automatically announces the line, the destination, the current and the next station. In addition, live announcements are made by the control centre.
Passenger safety and communication
In addition to pure information, VisiWeb also covers the functional area of passenger safety. Several cameras are installed in each car of a FLIRT composition, with which the VisiWeb video surveillance system records images and makes them available to the authorities for evaluation if required.
Each vehicle is also equipped with eight modern VisiWeb emergency passenger intercom stations in accordance with the TSI PRM standard, which allow passengers to establish a voice connection with the train driver at any time.
