Passenger information has been on the mind of the transit industry for over a century! An electronic passenger information sign was installed at at Boston’s Park Street in the 1890s-1900s. At the time, there were numerous (40+?) lines running through the station, and when properly staffed, this would have been pretty helpful.

I have not been able to pin down the exact source of this. I believe it was from one of the Boston Transit Commission annual reports, but I have not found a copy of the exact issue.