The app could also spare the police officers in the station from having to provide directions to so many disoriented travelers, said Lenka Hennessy, marketing director for Amtrak.

“People are always asking: Where is my gate? Where is the restroom? Where is the A.T.M.?” Ms. Hennessy said, while offering a demonstration of the app’s wayfinding function on her phone.

Designed for Amtrak by Zyter, the app works much like Google Maps, inviting users to detail what they would like to find, then mapping the most direct route and guiding them along it. Once it is in wide use, it will also show where the crowds are and how to get around them, Ms. Hennessy said.

Zyter has installed more than 300 small beacons in Amtrak’s section of the station and plans to install 300 more in the areas that are managed by the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit. The beacons allow the app to recognize pinpoint a user’s location within the station, data that Ms. Hennessy said would not be stored afterward.

Initially, the app will provide real-time information about only Amtrak trains, but Mr. Dorsch said Amtrak hoped eventually to include information about the commuter trains as well. And Ms. Hennessy said Amtrak hoped to add other stations around the country to the app.