A totem, with a gaudy red arrow on the top that will always face north, will be installed at a suburban railway station as part of a pilot of the new technology.

Public Transport Victoria released a tender for the huge touch-screen totems this week, but has been quiet on the roll-out.

The first totem is scheduled to be installed by January 2016.

It will come with a large touch-screen that will allow commuters to access information about train times and disruptions.

The devices, according to the tender documents, will also allow  people to access local area and tourism information.

The totems will come in two sizes: a 2.3 metre option and its towering twin which rises to 3.8 metres including the bright-red arrow on top.

PTV does not explicitly say so in the tender docs, but it's easy to see the totems as long-term replacements for the green buttons at railway stations.

The buttons provide access to an audio recording of the next services – but they were installed more than 20 years ago, and are plagued with issues when too many people are using the service at the same time.

"The design looks a little ostentatious with the big red V on the top, but it makes sense to use technology to provide better information for passengers on stations," Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said.

"At many stations the only real-time information currently provided is via loudspeaker announcements and the old green button systems, which can't be used by those with hearing difficulties, and often don't work properly."

"Of course, putting staff back onto stations who can help with ticket machines, handle travel queries and also provide a level of surveillance would be of great benefit to passengers on platforms, but providing up to date information via screens obviously helps too."

Vandalism is a huge and ongoing problem for Melbourne's train network, and the totem needs to be tough. The tender calls for a seriously-armoured information display, with a sheet metal exterior and toughened glass covering the info panel. The black paint covering the totem will need to be graffiti resistant. PTV haven't put a price on the totem in the tender documents.

A PTV spokesman confirmed it was seeking a single, customer information totem to trial at a train station on the network.

"PTV is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to define the screen content. The trial will be a test for the totem hardware and functions," the spokesman said.

"PTV is always looking at ways to improve the customer experience and the tools and information available to customers them to help them make informed decisions about their journey.

Earlier this year PTV released its timetables in  a format that allowed Google to incorporate public transport schedules into its Google Maps app.

A spokesperson for Google said the company continued to work on that, but would not give a time when the schedules might be available to users.