Building a Subway: MetroCard vending machine

Another item present in all subway stations nowadays, these MetroCard vending machines are usually found in the mezzanine level, near the token booth. They may be found either one on each side of the mezzanine, or side-by side. A busy station may even have more than two grouped together.

Special promotions or messages can be can be uploaded to all the machines in the system. In addition, fault conditions, such as exhaustion of supplies or change will be reported on the animated display, as well as communicated to the departments responsible for their upkeep.

The user interface is a touch-sensitive display. Customers interact with the machine by pressing "buttons" displayed on the screen. A typical transaction can take less time than going to the token booth--assuming you haven't convinced yourself that this is rocket science (it isn't).

"Touch Start". That's what starts it all. The panel marked "Audio" contains a headphone jack, as well as Braille instructions. These machines have at their heart, a PC running Windows NT. How do I know? Every so often, one of these machines crashes, and they sometimes hang on the boot screen, revealing their inner nature.

Token Booth--Index--Station Entrance

	Another item present in all subway stations nowadays, these MetroCard vending machines are usually found in the mezzanine level, near the token booth. They may be found either one on each side of the mezzanine, or side-by side. A busy station may even have more than two grouped together.
	Special promotions or messages can be can be uploaded to all the machines in the system. In addition, fault conditions, such as exhaustion of supplies or change will be reported on the animated display, as well as communicated to the departments responsible for their upkeep.
	The user interface is a touch-sensitive display. Customers interact with the machine by pressing "buttons" displayed on the screen. A typical transaction can take less time than going to the token booth--assuming you haven't convinced yourself that this is rocket science (it isn't).
	"Touch Start". That's what starts it all. The panel marked "Audio" contains a headphone jack, as well as Braille instructions. These machines have at their heart, a PC running Windows NT. How do I know? Every so often, one of these machines crashes, and they sometimes hang on the boot screen, revealing their inner nature.