Transport for Wales has announced that more than 170 stations in Wales have been fitted with a Welsh language information system.
The new technology is owned by Amazon and IVONA. It is called “Geraint” and can provide clear Welsh language journey announcements and up to the minute changes.
In Wales, there are 222 stations, but at the start of the Transport for Wales franchise, just a quarter of those had a system which worked for the Welsh language. The rest had an old text to speech system which struggled with the Welsh pronunciations.
The new technology was piloted in Porthmadog, Treforest Estate, Skewen, Hengoed and Pontyclun late last year before the full roll out over January, February and March.
In total, 171 stations are benefitting from the investment.
What did the officials say?
Gweirydd Davies, Head of Welsh Language Strategy at Transport for Wales, said:
“Creating a bilingual transport system is a priority for us at TfW and we're working with the Welsh Language Commissioners Office to ensure we achieve our goals.
“The addition of “Geraint” will make a positive difference for our Welsh speaking customers.
“The old technology wasn't fit for purpose when it came to the Welsh language, so we had to find a new solution and develop it ourselves.
“It's a step in the right direction in making our network bilingual and we're excited to look at making similar progress with our on-train announcement systems too.”
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What a waste of money. They would be better spending the money on rolling stock.