4 ms·

The heat generated by the LED ads is tiny compared to the heat generated by the actual trains and I think they handled that one very well.

frantathefranta 3y ago
Presumably the LED ads are also cheaper than employing people to change the posters.
- notatoad 3y ago
  i doubt it's less actual cost, but they definitely make more money overall by being able to rotate the ads more frequently.
jauntywundrkind 3y ago
Generally agreed. In DC we had a similar change over. My complaint is just that it is incredibly tacky. It's much brighter than ambient lighting is. Our metro system is facing a huge budget crunch (the Feds stopping COVID money, and the 2.5 states involved have been very unhelpful at providing funding). I get that advertising is an appealing revenue stream. I just wish we could do it in a way that wasn't so rambunctiously over the top; I wish we could preserve some level of taste.
- Symbiote 3y ago
  Transport for London's [1] revenue should be £9100 million this year. Revenue from advertising was £130 million last year, so around 1.5%. It would be nicer if they would just end the advertising. [1] London Underground (metro), several within-London urban and suburban rail lines, buses, trams, river ferries, major roads https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/march/annual-budget-for-2023-24-shows-tfl-set-to-deliver-operating-surplus https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/march/... https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-advertising-annual-report-august-2023-acc.pdf https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-advertising-annual-report-aug...
  - google234123 3y ago
    Just increase tax a bit more to make up for it :)
    - tonyedgecombe 3y ago
      In a way advertising is a tax that we all pay.
- kjellsbells 3y ago
  Metro is a balm compared to the PenFed illuminated tunnel at Washington Dulles airport. For non locals, this is in a long walkway between access train and terminal, is lit in bright blue moving images, and plays a silly song about interest rates at high volume for the entirety of your time in the tunnel. It has cemented my desire to never do business with PenFed, for sure.
  - earthboundkid 3y ago
    My favorite thing about the DC metro are the micro-targeted ads. Obviously, there's all the defense contractor junk at Pentagon City, but I also remember one at Foggy Bottom that was like "so-and-so is on the payroll of ISIS and the State Department should BAN them."
    - kjellsbells 3y ago
      I love the very-specific niche ads of the DC metro area. The #1 morning radio station in DC is WTOP and their ads are for attack helicopter programs instead of used Subarus. As in, "the Lockheed Grumman Supa-Attak 123XYZ is the proven program for warfighters in the C4ISR space <insert another 30 seconds of insider mumbo jumbo>". Certainly makes a change from car dealers and mattress stores.

frantathefranta 3y ago

Presumably the LED ads are also cheaper than employing people to change the posters.

notatoad 3y ago
i doubt it's less actual cost, but they definitely make more money overall by being able to rotate the ads more frequently.

jauntywundrkind 3y ago

Generally agreed. In DC we had a similar change over. My complaint is just that it is incredibly tacky. It's much brighter than ambient lighting is. Our metro system is facing a huge budget crunch (the Feds stopping COVID money, and the 2.5 states involved have been very unhelpful at providing funding). I get that advertising is an appealing revenue stream. I just wish we could do it in a way that wasn't so rambunctiously over the top; I wish we could preserve some level of taste.

Symbiote 3y ago
Transport for London's [1] revenue should be £9100 million this year. Revenue from advertising was £130 million last year, so around 1.5%. It would be nicer if they would just end the advertising. [1] London Underground (metro), several within-London urban and suburban rail lines, buses, trams, river ferries, major roads https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/march/annual-budget-for-2023-24-shows-tfl-set-to-deliver-operating-surplus https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/march/... https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-advertising-annual-report-august-2023-acc.pdf https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-advertising-annual-report-aug...
- google234123 3y ago
  Just increase tax a bit more to make up for it :)
  - tonyedgecombe 3y ago
    In a way advertising is a tax that we all pay.
kjellsbells 3y ago
Metro is a balm compared to the PenFed illuminated tunnel at Washington Dulles airport. For non locals, this is in a long walkway between access train and terminal, is lit in bright blue moving images, and plays a silly song about interest rates at high volume for the entirety of your time in the tunnel. It has cemented my desire to never do business with PenFed, for sure.
- earthboundkid 3y ago
  My favorite thing about the DC metro are the micro-targeted ads. Obviously, there's all the defense contractor junk at Pentagon City, but I also remember one at Foggy Bottom that was like "so-and-so is on the payroll of ISIS and the State Department should BAN them."
  - kjellsbells 3y ago
    I love the very-specific niche ads of the DC metro area. The #1 morning radio station in DC is WTOP and their ads are for attack helicopter programs instead of used Subarus. As in, "the Lockheed Grumman Supa-Attak 123XYZ is the proven program for warfighters in the C4ISR space <insert another 30 seconds of insider mumbo jumbo>". Certainly makes a change from car dealers and mattress stores.