London Underground, UK
Zenitel’s advanced Public Address and Voice Alarm and Long Line PA technology helps to make journeys on the London Underground safer and more secure.
The Requirement
In November 1987, a devastating fire took hold at King’s Cross London Underground Station, where 31 people were killed and 19 seriously injured. It was concluded that the fatalities would have been greatly reduced had there been a spoken voice alarm to direct the passengers out of the station.
In response to the tragedy, London Underground Ltd (LUL) ensured that installation of voice alarm across all 130+ stations was given high priority. The tragedy prompted the evolution of the first nationally recognised standards for Public Address and Voice Alarm (PAVA).
Certified to the most stringent voice alarm and safety standards, including EN54-16, Zenitel’s PAVA solutions met LUL’s safety needs.
The Solution
Zenitel’s solution began with the design and development of SIL2 rated matrix control and micro control products for LUL in 1993. From here, Zenitel then began developing their comprehensive PAVA and Long Line Public Address (LLPA) product ranges, adopting SIL2 standards for both hardware and software design.
Throughout the system, Zenitel pioneered the use of Adaptive Class D amplification with fanless cooling and DSP routing. These unique developments in voice alarm technology gave marked improvements in space utilisation, energy efficiency and Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) performance.