Siemens is also the ATS contractor, replacing another contractor who won the bid but was unable to do the project. Siemens didn’t do so well either, and perhaps is looking to make up its losses on the new work.

How come all their stuff works in Germany?

I will continue to say that it is not a worthy endeavor and that the money could have been better spent. The illusion of the allure of a “modern” system with train arrival boards does not outweigh the compelling need to address the decrepit state of NYCT infrastructure in certain parts of the city that is of pressing concern. I can think of the ceiling collapse at the 181st St. station as a prime example of a basic issue that should have been addressed long ago. It’s not the last time something like that will happen. Brining all the infrastructure up standard is not a sexy campaign, but, to me at least, it logically precedes, in both importance and investment strategy, installing luxury services like train arrival boards.

ATS was a major hold-up in NYC, but the real problem was disputes with the contractor, Siemens.

ATS is in progress on the B-division but there are no plans for the arrival time boards.

In DC and the other examples, you have one route going down one line, so track circuits can be used to tell when the next train is coming. NYCT could have done that years ago. But NYCT has multiple routes running on the same line, merging and diverging. Someone heading for the Brighton Line wouldn’t be satisfied with knowing there as a 6th Avenue Express train coming, which might be a West End D.

So NYCT went to install ATS first, a complicated system that would identify each train (based on something like an EZ Pass) as well as its position, help control the switching interlockings, swipe the train operators in and out, provide operating and service data, etc., replacing lots of administrative personel. Instead of a simple system. And, the copper wires couldn’t handle all the data, so a new fibre-optic system had to be installed.

The first projects, for the A division (IRT), went years late and way over budget. Among other things, the field offices for the project were in the World Trade Center when it went down, causing lots of administrative and software work done to date to be re-created from back-ups. A separate NYCT organization had been created to manage information technology work. It started over-running its budget, and in a rare display of government accounability, was eliminated by the NYCT President. That had to disrupt the project as well.

I left NYCT years ago, but I assume the ATS and fibre-optic projects eventually finished, with the communication system now coming up behind. But is the B division even started, and can it be financed?

(On CBTC lines, the new CBTC system replaces ATS, which is how the L train info system moved ahead).

Some of you may be skeptical, but trust me, I live on the street and see these signs EVERY DAY. They are not, to this point, connected with GPS monitoring. They merely recite the scheduled times. With any luck, this will change soon, since, as Ray pointed out, the buses are designed for GPS monitoring.