A comprehensive package of sophisticated passenger information display and related products and services is being designed and supplied by Infotec Ltd. for the Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Line 1 Urban Railway after award of the work by Hitachi, main contractors for the project.

Infotec has been awarded the contract to design and supply four different types of new LED platform displays with low smoke zero halogen specifications (LS0H) for the sub-surface locations. The displays will also benefit from dual English/Vietnamese language. The displays will be supported by four different types of structure being designed and strength calculated by Infotec engineers to be manufactured and installed by Hitachi.

The 64 displays will include countdown and double ceiling displays but with the vast majority single post. All but the countdown will be four-line next train indicator with clock.

Data for the displays will be taken from the Hitachi Signalling System (SIG) by Infotec’s widely-used AIM display management system for real time information distribution. Infotec’s work on this system will include definition of XML schema in conjunction with Hitachi engineers.

Each of Line 1’s 14 stations, three of which are underground and the remainder elevated, will have Infotec IPH3-SC Terminal Servers with Tetrus and 4 Ethernet connections. The IPH3-SC terminal servers will interface with the Building System (BAS) for emergency evacuation messages and with the display status reporting system (SCADA) which means the health of displays can be monitored and managed remotely with maximum efficiency and minimum disruption.

Dual server hardware is also being designed and supplied by passenger information display specialist Infotec together with consoles, printer and Ethernet switches for Hitachi to install.

Line 1 of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway will have a total length of 19.7 km, running between Ben Thanh in the city centre and Suoi Tien in the city’s north-east.

The line goes underground from Station 1 at Quach Thi Trang Roundabout area in Ben Thanh Market. It consists of two horizontally aligned two tunnels. After Station 3 at Ba Son the line shifts from underground. Infotec has extensive experience in designing, developing and manufacturing display systems for both underground and overground stations.

While the Ho Chi Minh City Line 1 service is not scheduled to commence operation until 2018, work on the order at Infotec is well advanced.