Article from BTNews 31 OCTOBER 2016
Virgin Trains' new app
A global first in rail-travel technology is being claimed by Virgin Trains with a new Explorer app designed to helps passengers on its East Coast route to navigate their way around stations to find friends, shops and platforms.
The company says the app also enables real-time automatic sign translation for international customers so they can read signs in their own languages.
Planned updates include messaging capability, baggage tracking and real-time travel data, plus features to enable independent navigation for the visually impaired.
These include audio cues guiding passengers around stations, routeing through optimum paths (for example lifts versus stairs), and location-based notifications, such as “You are on the right train”.
The app, free for IOS and Android users to download, is being launched initially at King’s Cross station in London before rolling out to all stations on the East Coast route later this year.
Virgin says it will use the initial roll-out to gather passenger feedback on the app, with further plans to integrate comments received into future updates.
East Coast managing director David Horne said: “We are proud to be the first in the rail industry to introduce this innovation and excited about potential future uses of the technology to enhance passengers’ experiences further.”
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