Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern passengers will soon be able to enjoy multi-million-pound station upgrades, set to improve passenger experience and make travelling more comfortable.
The operators’ parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), installed 1,500 square metres of new or refurbished waiting rooms and shelters, 3,000 seats, and over 100 new customer information screens across several stations.
The innovative screens include the latest software and display technology, whilst information is clearer and can be shown graphically, displaying the length of the approaching train, in a number of colours.
Most importantly, all screens meet the latest accessibility requirements and are more reliable, with much of the older generation (GTRs) having been replaced.
Commuters across 55 stations, ranging from King’s Lynn in Norfolk to Arundel in West Sussex, will see at least 1 new screen.
Potters Bar has seen 14 of its old screens replaced, and Oakleigh Park had all seven of its 20-year-old screens exchanged.
Tom Moran, Managing Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said “we are installing plenty of new screens where our passengers told us they were most needed, as well as replacing some older screens with new ones."
"Putting additional screens towards the end of platforms - the north end of Platform One at Letchworth Garden City is a prime example - encourages passengers to spread out.”
He continued, "this helps minimise crowding at busy times, which also speeds up boarding and improves punctuality. We’ve also installed more screens near station entrances because providing information before passengers go through the gates can save them time and effort.”
The improvements are part of a network-wide, multimillion-pound scheme, which includes over 1,000 projects, at 250 stations.
Having kick-started in 2019, the scheme is now 90% complete.
The Managing Director added, “to make your stations more comfortable there are now 25 new or refurbished waiting rooms, over 100 shelters and canopies, nearly 3,000 new seats and 90 re-furbished toilets.”
He continued, “that’s more shelter than you’d get from 2,000 umbrellas, and enough new seats to fill the Royal Festival Hall!”
On August 18, 2021 RTM will be hosting a virtual event around improving passenger experience across our network. Register to attend here.
