New NYC Subway Line Upgrades Interactive Kiosks

January 25, 2017 by Dave Haynes

The Link NYC smart cities screens that have started dotting the sidewalks of Manhattan now have cousins in the subway system – new variations on the MTA On the Go (OTG) kiosks that have been in the system for some time now.

There are eight screens in three stations on the loooooooong-awaited new line, which opened at the start of the month.

Says a news release:

As part of a public-private partnership with the MTA, Intersection, the company that manages the groundbreaking LinkNYC project and developed the media platform for OTG, has installed upgraded versions of the kiosks as part of its mission to improve the customer experience with real-time info and drive revenue for the MTA through dynamic, contextual advertising. Some of the features of the upgraded kiosks include:  

• Sleek new design with dual-sided displays (displays on the previous model are single-sided);
• Two-port charging station on the side of each kiosk;
• Updated Trip Planner application to support the new Second Avenue stations that allows riders to better schedule trips to and from stations, with an updated map to include the new lines and scheduled arrival, departure and service advisory information.

The aesthetics are a bit of a step up from the stainless steel kitchen look of the existing units, but we’ll have to see how these units stand up in the somewhat harsh environment of the platforms. Certainly, the LinkNYC units I’ve seen around Manhattan have been keeping field technicians busy (I see dead screens, lotsa dead screens).