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ASL on-message with Network Rail

ASL Safety & Security are working with Babcock Rail in Glasgow to replace Network Rail’s legacy long line public address (LLPA) system at 39 stations operated by ScotRail around the city centre and surrounding urban areas as part of an infrastructure upgrade.

ASL’s VoIP-based iPAM long line PA solution is operating from intelligent amplifier mainframes installed at individual stations encompassing an area as far as Newton, Barrhead and Neilston. Amplification is provided by highly efficient modular amplifiers using proprietary Adaptive Class-D technology.

The IPAMs combine routing, Ethernet connectivity and loudspeaker line monitoring in a compact 2U fanless frame which is rigorously tested for rail and other transport infrastructure applications. The Glasgow project uses iPAM400 amplifier units running the VIPA operating system. VIPA is ASL’s scalable Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) public address software, a library of IP-enabled solutions such as text to speech, message fragment storage and multicast functionality for Windows and Linux platforms.

ScotRail’s operational hub for the area is at Paisley. Here, the operator oversees the system’s front end using ASL’s mini-iVENCS PA/VA control and monitoring platform which offers real-time display of announcement zone status and translucent overlay of customisable PA/VA zones. iVENCS uses distributed architecture with a messaging backbone based on the Open Source XMPP messaging and presence protocol.

Ian Findlay, senior project engineer at Network Rail, said: “The adoption of this innovative technology in our stations will deliver a reliable and high-quality service to the travelling public and make journeys a more enjoyable experience by providing clear, up-to-date train information.”

ASL’s iPAM400 amplifiers have been developed specifically for rail projects where close integration of PC/DVA (digital voice announcements) with customer information system (CIS) functions is called for. Operators and maintainers receive status information on all PA equipment via mini-iVENCS, with a seamless upgrade path allowing related safety and security subsystems such as CCTV, access control and passenger help points to be controlled and monitored using the same 2D or 3D GUI.

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