The Swiss Federal Railways starts system-wide usage of HAFAS on new mobile terminals

Field test of HAFAS Pocket successfully completed

The Swiss Federal Railways AG (SBB CFF FFS), after the successful completion of a seven week field test, has begun equipping all train staff with the travel planning system HAFAS Pocket on the mobile terminal ZPG II. The new train staff device (ZPG) uses a special version of HAFAS Pocket. The roll-out should be completed in time for the 2005 schedule change. At that point each member of the roughly 2,000-strong train staff will have an individual ZPG II.

The SBB completed a seven week long field test using the HAFAS Pocket ZPG at the end of August. The test began with 9 participants and was stepwise expanded to 150 train conductors. After the test was completed successfully, the way was clear at the end of August for system-wide usage, starting 12.09.05.
HAFAS Pocket ZPG was well received by train personnel and proved itself in the field test as stable and reliable. The advantages of the software update include compatibility with the large display (6.4" or 16 cm), the finger-touch-screen operation as well as the excellent readability and usability; the result is improved technical capabilities as well as a user-friendly operation.

In addition to the already established timetable information available on CD-ROMs from the SBB, HAFAS Pocket ZPG offers an entire series of new functions especially useful for train conductors. Next to a view of the path of a train, connecting trains are quickly and easily found. A special train search allows train personnel to find trains promptly and simply by using the train number.

Train personnel is now also connected via GPRS or WLAN with the central SBB systems. Schedule information and software can be quickly and smoothly updated from this central location. A regular weekly update of the schedule data is planned. In a future stage of expansion, online data such as delay information could flow into HAFAS Pocket ZPG.

HAFAS Pocket ZPG runs on the mobile terminals using the operating system Microsoft Windows CE .NET 4.2. HAFAS Pocket is connected to standard software on the ZPG II via a XML software interface. With this interface, the HAFAS Pocket ZPG can provide ticketing applications with information about a journey. Data already available in HAFAS Pocket ZPG can be easily used by other applications. Therefore, the work required by third party applications to store and update redundant data repeatedly on the console sinks dramatically.

The new ZPG II with HAFAS Pocket ZPG doesn't only make the lives of train personnel easier, but is also helpful for train passengers. Numerous documents and current customer information such as details about various stations, prices, arrival and departure times, and announcements are available in electronic form to the train personnel and therefore also to the passengers.