At the S-Bahn tracks 103 and 104 of the Frankfurt main station travelers should be able to understand easier announcements in the future. There, Deutsche Bahn wants to use a new audio technology together with the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) and test it for six months. The motto: "Never again understand the station".

The system Holoplot of a Berlin start-up "can focus sound waves like a beam of light on any point in space," said Deutsche Bahn. Thus, the announcements would be directed precisely to certain platform areas and travelers would receive only the information important to them. Announcements for the respective opposite track, however, are no longer heard. Overall, it should reduce the noise.

According to the railway, 23 audio modules will be installed at eleven locations on the Frankfurt S-Bahn tracks. If the test is positive, the system could also be used at other stations.

"Holoplot is a prime example of how digital technologies improve customer service at train stations," says Susanne Kosinsky, responsible for train stations in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. "The added value for our customers is literally audible." Deutsche Bahn is coordinating its digital innovation efforts under DB mindbox, which also involves start-ups.