London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is to fully integrate British Sign Language (BSL) on digital departure screens at more of its stations.

Claiming that this is a first in the UK rail industry, the operator has release the news to mark the start of Sign Language Week, which runs from today (Monday 18 March) until Sunday (24 March), which is run by the British Deaf Association to promote British and Irish Sign Languages.

Successful trial

Last December, LNER began a trial of the full integration of BSL on information screens at Doncaster, aiming to provide parity of information for D/deaf passengers who use BSL.

The term ‘D/deaf’ includes all people who have impaired hearing, both those with a strong cultural identity as Deaf, and those without such a connection (deaf).

LNER worked closely with local organisations and the D/deaf community during the trial, in particular with Doncaster Deaf Trust and Communication Specialist College Doncaster.

Over the coming months, the operator will implement the technology at those of its managed stations, which are equipped with the latest screen technology.

Locations will include Berwick-upon-Tweed, Durham, Doncaster and Peterborough.

It also plans to install integrated signing at Darlington, Wakefield Westgate, Retford, Newark Northgate and Grantham stations.

The screens show signed videos alongside the latest service information, including departure times,
train operator names, destinations, calling points en route and the platform number. Service updates are also translated into BSL.

Other operators introducing BSL in various ways include Northern, Chiltern and TransPennine Express.

Positive feedback

“We are delighted that the trial has proved a success. We continue to receive positive feedback from our customers and people using our stations. By introducing BSL on our screens, we are taking a significant step towards making our stations more inclusive and accessible for everyone who travels with us.”

Claire Ansley, People and Customer Experience Director at LNER