Network Rail to switch on Euston station’s big screen for passenger updates

Network Rail is set to re-activate the large screen at London Euston station as part of a trial to provide clearer and more visible travel information for passengers.

The former advertising board will be repurposed to display live updates on train services, responding to passenger feedback calling for a larger, central information point.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who recently replaced Louise Haigh said: “We’ve been clear the station simply hasn’t been good enough for customers, and that’s why we recently tasked Network Rail with making immediate improvements.”

The screens were initially installed in January as part of an overhaul of the concourse at the station and the removal of the old departure information screens.

Safety at the station was thrust into the spotlight in September after it was revealed rail minister Peter Hendy had threatened to withhold contracts from supplier SYSTRA whilst chairman of Network Rail, after engineer Gareth Dennis had raised publicly safety concerns at the station.

The campaign group Travelwatch also shared similar views, highlighting that it thought passengers were in danger of overcrowding at the station.

Since then, Network Rail and the Department for Transport have announced a five-point plan, which has included a review of the passenger display information as trialling early boarding announcements for both Avanti services and London Northwestern Railway’s Birmingham services.

The passenger information board trial will begin on December 11, with the full activation expected next week. Network Rail has also confirmed that the central concourse screens are to remain on during the testing phase.

Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, added, “After listening to our passengers, we’re pleased to launch a trial to display travel information on Euston station’s large screen this week. Our five-point plan is all about making quick and effective improvements to make journeys smoother for everyone.”

Plans to rebuild the station as well as continue tunnelling for HS2 from Old Oak Common into Euston has just been given the go-ahead by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with the estimated cost of bringing HS2 into Euston currently £6 billion.

Michael Roberts, CEO of London TravelWatch, said: "The plan to show travel information on the main concourse screen at Euston is a good sign of more focus on passengers in how the station is run. Equally important in the short term will be other improvements, such as smoother boarding processes, clearer signage and better use of concourse space.

We are also starting to see a stronger commitment by Network Rail and train operators to a much-needed “one-team” approach in managing the station; this is long overdue and needs to embrace Transport for London at a station where the interchange with Tube and bus is not good enough. Better train reliability also needs to be sustained to reduce the risk of station overcrowding.

Beyond that and into the New Year, work needs to start on developing a more substantial improvement plan for Euston station to serve passengers in the years before the terminus for HS2 is built."