About 3800 sq.ft of Absen LED screens were opted to be installed at the entrance of the Kantivira Sangoli Rayanna (Bengaluru Main Station) of South Western Railway Division, under the Rail Digital Network (RDN) project.
Planned to be built and operated on a self-sustainable model, the RDN is an initiative to provide contextually rich and relevant information to rail users along with public awareness messages and entertainment content, using the latest digital technologies to unlock the true advertisement potentials at the stations. According to the Media4growth, the RDN system is envisaged to cover 32 stations in the Bengaluru Division across three different states (Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh).
At the main entrance of the Bengaluru Division of South Western Railway, two Absen LED displays were installed on the heritage structure. The higher display is an 80 by 10 ft Absen’s XD6 plus screen with a configuration of 3648×432 pixels. The LED screen further below is a 30 by 10 ft Absen XD4 plus screen with a configuration of 2016×432 pixels. The two screens integrated with public announcement system are used to display the railway information like the train arrival/departure information, delays if any, expected delays and coach marshalling order of trains; the final confirmation status of waitlisted passengers; the passenger communication system and the reservation chart display system.
According to Cedric Ji, the Absen sales representative for the Indian market, “When we first received the requirements for the project from our client, the XD plus series seem to be a perfect choice. Considering it’s a 10-year-project, and the screen works in a 24×7 mode, stability and high-quality performance are two key factors. Boasting a wide choice of pixel pitch (4.4mm, 6.6 mm, 8.0mm, 10.0mm) 7500 nits of brightness and a 160° horizontal viewing angle, the XD plus, as an outdoor product, shows an excellent visual performance even in direct sunlight or extremes temperatures. As an updated version of Absen’s market-proven outdoor product, XD plus has a 100,000 hours lifetime circle, which matches perfectly with the requirement of this project. In this case, the screens are used to present information to the passengers at the railway station at a glance.
The RDN project was executed by Sharma Srishti Synergy under the stewardship of Srishti Group Managing Director S Kumar, which will manage the same for 10 years by running the train and passenger information network and also the advertising on the LED displays. Sharma Srishti Synergy is installing over 1,600 digital screens under this project.
An elated S Kumar said the RDN project execution was one of the most challenging projects that Srishti Group has undertaken in its 2-decade plus business journey, and yet “it has been the most satisfying of all”. Right before the installation of the project, Absen provided technical training to Srishti’s engineering team. “We invited the engineers to our factory in China and provided training by our experienced trainers, covering from the basics of LED displays to technical issues. with hands-on experience in troubleshooting based on real-life scenarios,” said Cedric. “This ensured that the installation went smoothly with the confidence of solid local service support in the future.”
“As one of the first built projects of the RDN system, Absen is proud to be chosen as a partner with Srishti for the RDN project. I am sure there will be more close cooperation in near future and Absen is committed to providing the best product and service to our customers,” concludes Rajesh Patkar, Regional Director, Absen for the Indian market.