The light at the end of the RER tunnel. Since October, Transilien SNCF has been testing the installation of light seals on two RER C trainsets for one year. This device called “Sealight” was developed by Wabtec, a French manufacturer of railway equipment. It aims to “improve the fluidity of quayside / on-board exchanges”, according to the statement from Transilien SNCF.
Concretely, “when the LED door seals are static blue, this means that access to the train is authorized and secure,” SNCF is developing. When the LED door seals are red, flash intermittently with the sound signal, this means that access to the train is no longer authorized and secure, the doors are being closed ”.
The expectation of an improvement in punctuality
The objective is to enable travelers to better anticipate boarding the train and to “increase the perception of people with disabilities (visually impaired, hard of hearing, but also users of headphones), and occasional travelers”.
As a result, Transilien SNCF expects an improvement in “passenger safety” and “punctuality by acting on the behavior and flow of travelers by avoiding voluntary blocking of doors”. So will illuminated seals revolutionize the punctuality of the RER? Response in less than a year.