A railway company in Japan has created a smartphone app to prevent commuters losing their way at Tokyo's Shinjuku metro station, known to be the busiest in the world with a daily footfall of about 3.6 million.
East Japan Railway, which owns most of the more than 20 lines converging at the station, has begun testing the Ekikonai Navi (interior station navigator), which aims to help subway users find their way around in the confusing station layout.
Manoeuvring through the Shinjuku station, one of the main junctions within the extensive metro and train network in the Japanese capital, is a complicated affair even for regular users.
The trial version of the app is available in Japanese and English for iOS and Android, and has a navigator that uses Bluetooth Low Energy beacons installed at the station to indicate the user's location on a map.
The user can select a destination point and the app will reveal the best possible route or serve as a compass to help him around inside in the gigantic station, which has 36 platforms and about 200 exits.
