Metro Tunnel unveils new tech to show passengers where to find empty carriages

Melbourne’s new Metro Tunnel stations are rolling out new technology on platforms to combat commuter crushes during peak times. Here’s how it will work.

New crush-busting technology at Metro Tunnel stations will show passengers how full carriages are before their train approaches the platform.

Victoria-first platform screen doors have been built at the five Metro stations, which begin operating on a limited schedule from Sunday, in a bid to boost safety and to reduce noise and wind.

The platform doors open automatically at the same time as the train doors, and do not require buttons to be pressed.

But in a bid to create a smoother boarding process, live graphics will also be shown on screens above the doors, showing how congested each carriage is as trains come down the tracks.

The screens will include four passenger-shaped silhouettes that will be shaded in black to signify when a carriage is filling up.

New technology at Metro Tunnel stations will show passengers how full carriages are before trains approach platforms. Picture: Metro Trains

Zero or one shaded silhouette would signify plenty of space to move, while four shaded silhouette that are shaded in would represent a passenger crush.

Passengers could use the information to decide where to stand on the platform as trains arrive.

The graphics would provide the visual clues when trains are leaving the previous station — for example passengers at State Library Station travelling towards Sunbury would see the graphics when trains leave Town Hall Station.

The hi-tech screens also show where people with a disability should board the train, and how many platform screen doors are available on each carriage.

While Metro stations have been designed to be accessible at every carriage door, the rest of the network still has platform gaps that require ramps, meaning people with a disability travelling beyond Metro stations should board at the front carriage.

Live graphics will also be shown on screens above the doors, showing how congested each carriage is as trains come down the tracks. Picture: Metro Trains

Metro Tunnel executive project director, Ben Ryan, said platform screen doors were designed for “improving passenger safety and helping reduce boarding times.”

“These doors are used in leading metro systems around the world – with 60 platform screen doors installed at each of the five brand-new Metro Tunnel stations,” he said.

“High-capacity signalling technology will automatically align trains with the platform screen doors, so passengers know exactly where the train doors will be – making it faster and easier to board.”

“When the Metro Tunnel opens, additional Metro Trains staff will be out in force to help passengers across the new stations and platforms.”

The $15.5bn Metro Tunnel will run the first passenger services on Sunday, beginning at about 10am and running until 7pm.

They will run on a limited schedule, with existing City Loop services to continue during the soft launch.

From February, hundreds of extra services will be switched on across the network following a timetable overhaul, and the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines would run exclusively through the new tunnel.