And now for something useful: subway train locators on NYC Transit platforms

October 30, 2009 by Dave Haynes

As spotted in Gizmodo, which spotted it in Gothamist, which … well, you get the idea …

Gothamist: The screens cull data from the L line’s computerized operating system, which tracks exact train locations and then shows them advancing (or not!) along the screen.

The screens are at eye level and are inside a cabinet to prevent tampering. This is the transit authority’s work, and if I am a NYC subway rider, I would like this. Ads breaking up the screen would be a bad idea but I could see these being sponsored with a logo to offset costs, particularly if the app that is displaying this info could also route to  smartphones.