Appenzeller Bahnen AG – Retrofitting vehicles to DiLoc®| OnBoard

Upgrading the RHB25 and AG16/116 and AG17/117 vehicles to DiLoc®| OnBoard  

As part of a major modernization, the passenger information system in five additional vehicles used on the RHB (Rohrschach-Heiden-Bahn) and AG (Altstätten-Gais) lines have been converted to DiLoc®| OnBoard. This means that a total of 17 multiple units, 2 railcars, 5 control cars and 6 cars of Appenzeller Bahnen AG are now equipped with the modern DiLoc®| OnBoard passenger information system.  

According to the preliminary analysis, only the HMI in the vehicles and the TrainLine modems for multitraction connections had to be replaced for the upgrade. At the customer's request, the routers and antennas were also replaced, as locating the vehicles had not been reliable in the past.  

The majority of the components, such as TFT interior displays, LED front and side displays, the complete acoustic equipment and switches of the previous passenger information system were integrated into the new system.  

In addition to the assessment and evaluation of the existing components, cn-mobility prepared a cost and risk analysis for Appenzeller Bahnen, supported the technical engineering, drafted a migration concept and scheduled the rollout. The hardware modification was carried out by Appenzeller Bahnen.  

The migration to DiLoc®| OnBoard resulted in the following particular advantages compared to the previous passenger information system:

• Centralized distribution of the software  
• Greater flexibility in adapting screen layouts  
• Automatic display and announcement of cancellations  
• Manual announcements into the vehicles from the central DiLoc®| Motion control system  
• Precise localization  
• Variable combination of vehicles

The complete passenger information for all vehicles (incl. third-party FIS systems) is managed by the central DiLoc®| Motion system. Through the MPI interface specially developed by cn-mobility, the current up-to-date daily timetables are automatically transmitted to the vehicles via mobile networks in addition to the existing annual timetable. All necessary additional information, such as forecasts and live connections, is also transmitted in real time to enable the latest information to be displayed and announced on the trains.  

In addition to enhancing passenger information, the project also focused on sustainability, cost efficiency and minimizing reconstruction times.  

Following the equipping of the new “Walzer” and “Tango” vehicles with the DiLoc®| OnBoard system solution, approximately 80% of the existing vehicles have now been converted to the modern DiLoc®| OnBoard passenger information system on completion of the project. Appenzeller Bahnen has been a customer of cn-mobility GmbH since 2011. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them in order to offer their passengers modern and customized passenger information.