In response to new CEO Jay Walder’s call for real-time train information on the transit system, an L station and the Metro-North mobile app have both dipped their toes into telling users where trains are in realtime.

If you select the ‘Metro-North TrainTime‘ link from the MTA mobile site’s homepage, you will be able to see, for now, the ontime status of current trains. Unless one of the trains is delayed, they will pretty much just all read ‘On Time’ or ‘Arrived’ for now.

At the Bedford Ave L-line Subway Station, things get a little more interesting. A graphical LCD screen shows where nearby trains are, updated every 15 seconds.

It’s great that MTA is making progress on this, but I hope these are not long-term how this information is going to be disseminated.

Let’s take the mobile site as a first example.

The realtime train data should not be a separate menu on the Metro-North mobile website, it should be integrated into the schedule results (like track info .

There is no usability reason to fill out one form for schedule information and then backup and go to another for realtime information.

As for the L line, the LCD board is not going to cut it. Its too small and can only be read by people standing directly in front of it – but its information is of interest to everyone on the platform at all times. Also, the map display is unnecessary – all that is relevant is ETA of next trains.

So, lets take these two important pieces of information and rethink how to display this data.

The results look exactly like DC’s realtime train ETA signs.

These signs show exactly how long before the next 3 trains arrive in minutes, and can be seen by passengers standing 100 ft away.

There is no advantage to making people crowd around an LCD screen to see a relatively small diagram when all they want to know is ‘how long do I have to wait here?’.

This is a complaint I have had before with the Grand Central Terminal monitors as well – they use small color television screens that users need to stop and crowd around to read.

It would be much better to use a large overhead LED display that users could see from a distance and read without stopping.