New publication: Passenger information screens at railway stations

17 November 2014

Meet me by the departure boards…

Traditional arrivals and departure boards are a focal point for most passengers – but other types of screens tend to be ignored.

The independent watchdog Passenger Focus today publishes a study into the use of different types of information screens. It found that passengers valued the traditional departure boards and that they generally met their needs, while other types of screens tend to be ignored.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said:

“Whether you’re making a regular journey or setting off on an unfamiliar trip, what you need is good clear information on where to go and what’s happening with your train. The good news is that traditional departures boards are generally meeting passengers’ needs – this chimes with the National Rail Passenger Survey score of 81 per cent satisfaction for station information.

“Nevertheless passengers made suggestions about how departures information could be made better still – so we hope to see these suggestions acted upon soon.

“Passengers were not clear about the purpose of newer plasma-TV screens put up at larger stations, which tended to be ignored for various reasons. The research suggests that the rail industry needs to rethink whether these screens are actually the best way to pass on extra information and underlines the need for passenger research at the early stage of a project.”

The report, Passenger information screens at railway stations, looked at traditional departures/arrivals boards on the concourse/platforms and other screens used to show extra information such as disruption updates.

Ends

Media enquiries: contact Sara Nelson, head of communications, on 0300 123 0820 or sara.nelson@transportfocus.org.uk