Skip to main content

Bluetooth aids rail passenger monitoring

In an effort to reduce congestion and improve passenger flow at railway stations in the Netherlands, Danish software company Blip Systems and Dutch railway consultants NPC have teamed up to monitor passenger movements using Bluetooth and wi-fi tracking. In an eight-week study at Groningen railway station, Blip Systems has installed 22 of its BlipTrack sensors which anonymously detect wi-fi and Bluetooth-enabled devices such as mobile phones and laptops. The sensors will monitor passengers and transmit the
April 12, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
In an effort to reduce congestion and improve passenger flow at railway stations in the Netherlands, Danish software company 3778 Blip Systems and Dutch railway consultants NPC have teamed up to monitor passenger movements using Bluetooth and wi-fi tracking.

In an eight-week study at Groningen railway station, Blip Systems has installed 22 of its BlipTrack sensors which anonymously detect wi-fi and Bluetooth-enabled devices such as mobile phones and laptops.  The sensors will monitor passengers and transmit the encrypted data to a cloud server which calculates speed and travel time.  Data on passenger movements, queues and congestion will enable station operators to optimise design, improve customer experience and reduce congestion.

“We are excited to work with knowledgeable partners like NPC, and are confident that they will be able to add value to the data gathered by BlipTrack.  We hope that train stations will be yet another area where data gathered by BlipTrack and analysed by experts, can help solve passenger flow related problems and generate a higher level of comfort as well as more efficient use of resources. We see train stations as a very interesting market with great potential”, says Blip Systems CEO Peter Knudsen.

“The cooperation in developing a measuring solution specific for train stations together with BLIP systems and the Netherlands Railways (NS) has proved to be an excellent approach so far.  Although we are still in progress, the first results look extremely promising,” says program manager for Smart Stations Eelco Thiellier.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bristol’s buses trial CycleEye detection system
    July 7, 2017
    Fusion Processing’s Jim Hutchinson looks at a two-year trial of the company’s cyclist detection system. Is cycling in a city dangerous? Well, that depends where you are and how you view statistics. Malmö is far more bike-friendly than Mumbai and the risk can either be perceived as small - one death per 29 million miles cycled in the UK in 2013 - or large - that equated to 109 deaths in the same year. Whatever your personal take on the data, the effect of these accidents can be felt indirectly too. News of c
  • Georgia Yexley: Here's how micromobility can deliver public good
    June 27, 2023
    Georgia Yexley, founder of Loud Mobility, looks at the lessons on diversity, equity and inclusion which can be learned from the US and wider – and explores why it is a vital component for industry growth in the UK
  • Navya joins forces with via on Autonom Cab app
    January 15, 2018
    Via's app has been integrated with technology from Navya's Autonom Cab to enable passengers to securely book and control their autonomous vehicle (AV) travel experience from their smartphone. The app allows users to request a ride in the Autononom cab, to open the AV's door once it arrives and command it to close the door and start the journey once safely onboard. In addition, passengers can request music of their choice, connect to the onboard Wi-Fi and engage with other amenities. Daniel Ramot
  • Making enforcement multi-functional
    June 23, 2016
    New enforcement equipment is coming onto the market apace, as Colin Sowman discovers. If there is one word that epitomises the current trend in enforcement technology then that word is consolidation: multi-function cameras, miniaturisation and combining radar and visual detection methods. One example is Turkish company Ekin Technology’s recently introduced Micro Plate is claimed to be the smallest licence plate recognition device. In addition to logging licence plate data, the system records speed, date, ti