Seoul Station’s 111-meter media wall ‘Platform 111’ wins the Public Design Grand Prize

[Financial News] Seoul Station’s large digital display, which presents train departure information on individual cards, has received this year’s government public design award.
According to Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) on the 23rd, the awards were presented that afternoon at the opening ceremony of the Public Design Festival, held at Culture Station Seoul 284 in Seoul. The Korea Public Design Award recognizes public design projects and research selected for making citizens’ lives more convenient and pleasant. It is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF).
The Train Information Display System (TIDS) received the highest praise in this year’s awards. The old TIDS listed multiple trains one after another in a single table. The new design assigns one card to each train, showing its departure time, train number, destination and boarding platform on that card. As a result, passengers can identify at a glance which train they are taking without having to search through the table.
The 5.5-meter-high display opened in September last year. Its name comes from the English word ‘Platform,’ meaning a railway station platform, and the screen’s maximum length of 111 meters. It was created jointly by KORAIL, KORAIL Retail and Hongik University’s Public Design Research Center. The design focused on helping passengers easily check train information and enjoy culture and the arts while at the station. In addition to train information, the screen also displays media art and public-interest messages.
According to information released at the time of installation, Kakao Mobility Corp. is in charge of the advertising, which has been running since September last year. The advertising brand is ‘Seoul Panorama.’ Seoul Station’s old advertising boards used light boxes illuminated from behind. By contrast, Platform 111 can display immersive videos, such as 3D animation.
KORAIL Design Center Director Bang Jeong-hyeon said, “We changed both the information system and the space so passengers can easily find train information and fill their waiting time with culture,” adding, “We will continue to improve the convenience of rail travel through public design that starts from passengers’ perspective.”

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter