With this newly deployed sensor network, Netherlands Railways will get data on passenger flows, which can be used to improve traveler experience and optimize the stations’ operations.

Passengers are no longer simply passing through railway stations; they work, hold meetings, shop and eat there. At the same time, passenger numbers have been increasing steadily in the Netherlands. Expanding stations’ capacity to address these challenges is however at best highly expensive, at worst a no-go because the busiest stations tend to be located in dense urban environments. In order to be in a better position to cater for new passenger requirements and at the same time cope with the growing flow of passengers, Netherlands Railways, the largest train and station operator in the Netherlands, has entered an agreement with Denmark-based Blip Systems for the deployment of a bluetooth/wifi sensor network. 

The ambition with the new sensor network is to improve traveler experience by reducing bottlenecks, optimize operations and generate new revenues by modeling traveler behavior. The size of the investment is around €100,000 ($112,000) per station, depending on how detailed the data should be. ”Postponing a rebuild for two years and then having the right layout when you rebuild a station makes the investment worth it,” said Kim Hermannsen, partner and engineer at Blip Systems, to Industrial IoT 5G Insights.