In the near future, waiting might not be the hardest part.

That’s the hope held by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is planning to install technology that will tell commuters when their next train will arrive — a much-anticipated initiative that could arrive at select Brooklyn subway stations soon.

By winter 2010, the MTA plans to introduce new public address systems and customer information screens to all numbered subway lines at 156 subway stations, according to the agency’s 2010-2014 capital budget plan. The initiative will cost $171 million, according to the MTA. The agency has already installed a $213 million train tracking/signaling system at the stations, a necessary first step that make the customer displays viable.