East Midlands Railway haved rolled out improvements to their signage at 8 stations in a bid to make stations easier to navigate.

The stations taking part in the £73,000 project are Kettering, Wellingborough, Nottingham, Beeston, Bulwell, Newark Castle, Hinckley and Sheffield.

It is hoped that the wayfinding improvements will provide customers with an easier and safer way to negotiate stations.

The new signs will be positioned so that passengers can more easily recognise how to get to a platform, exit or entrance in a quick and safe manner.

EMR has also cut back on sign clutter where possible to provide customers with straightforward information which is more relevant to their needs.

The language used on signs has been standardised and aims to support customers by building familiarity with words and a better understanding of their meaning.

EMR has funded the majority of the project with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council who have added a £3,000 match funding contribution.

Funding dependent, further wayfinding projects at other stations may be introduced in the future.

Some examples of the work being carried out are:

At Sheffield:

The signs currently in the concourse give three separate way-out lines, the new signs will feature just two and feature different alignment disciplines in order to improve the wayfinding experience for customers.

At Bulwell:

A new poster has been installed which features the step-free route into Bulwell town centre.

Helen Dolphin MBE, Chair of East Midlands Railway‘s Inclusivity Panel, said:

“The Inclusivity panel is delighted to see the introduction of this much-improved wayfinding signage.

“The signage will significantly improve the experience of customers, particularly those with disabilities were finding the quickest and safest route is vitally important. As a society, we don’t always appreciate the difficulties people can have navigating around a station and this signage is going to make a big difference.”

Lisa Angus, Transition and Projects Director at East Midlands Railway, said:

“We are always looking at better ways to help our customers navigate easily and safely around our stations.

“We hope this project will help in this regard and cut down the number of trips and falls which do occasionally happen when customers mistakenly take a more challenging route to either a platform, entrance or exit.”