Electronic Information Systems from ARINC Help Boston Expand Amber Alert Coverage

Annapolis, Maryland—Thousands of passengers on the famous “T” subway line in Boston will now be among the first to know if an Amber Alert is issued for a missing child in the area. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) recently began posting Amber Alert messages on the new passenger information signs recently installed throughout its rail and subway network.

Many of the signs are new high-visibility LED and LCD displays from ARINC Incorporated which were installed this year at the MBTA’s subway stations. In addition, Amber Alert voice announcements are now being broadcast over the subway’s newly enhanced digital public address system—which was also delivered by ARINC.

The MBTA’s General Manager, Daniel Grabauskas, made the decision to post Amber Alerts recently, after a surveillance video of Boston’s Downtown Crossing Station helped authorities locate four missing children.

“The MBTA has the infrastructure and technology to deliver Amber Alert messages to hundreds of thousands of people instantaneously,” said Grabauskas. “We often urge our customers to ‘Say Something if they See Something,’ and here’s another opportunity to do so, and help a child.”

ARINC’s Vice President of Surface Transportation, Dave Morrissey, said, “We expected our new high-visibility station signs and digital audio systems to benefit MBTA riders with more timely and accurate passenger information. But the addition of the Amber Alert capabilities, through enhancements to ARINC’s AIM^® CIS software, will benefit the whole community as well. The MBTA is able to display not only text descriptions of abducted children, but pictures of them as well.”

The bright new LED and LCD signs, controlled by ARINC AIM CIS software, are oriented for maximum visibility on station platforms and inside lobbies. The digital display technology allows posting flexible information, such as next-train announcements, customer services, and train-delay announcements. The new ARINC-supplied PA systems deliver clear and crisp digital sound quality without microphones through digital text-to-speech technology.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001certified. 

Release: 08-099

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