Seven new passenger information screens at St Pancras, which can display 128 departures at one time, are now giving clearer, more comprehensive information at the street-level entrance Thameslink’s subterranean platforms.
Following requests and suggestions from passengers, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) asked Network Rail to replace the four outdated older screens above the Thameslink gate-line so that more service information could be provided, more clearly, particularly during periods of disruption.
The increased clarity is especially welcome at the busiest times when the old screens were not easily visible for people waiting or queuing further back on the concourse. It also helps passengers maintain social distancing while checking their departure times.
Tracy Hall, head of customer information for Govia Thameslink Railway, Thameslink’s parent company, said: “Thameslink trains leaving St Pancras are together heading for as many as 124 destinations, and we needed six screens to show all of those at any one time if necessary. The screen display is also designed to show only the destinations that trains will reach within the following 90 minutes, so the information is always relevant for our passengers.
“The seventh screen is for the display of special notices and disruption information. This reduces the need for free-standing signs, so the gate-line can be kept clear of unnecessary clutter, another improvement for our passengers’ experience.”
As the station is Grade I listed, the screens had to be approved by Historic England and Camden Borough Council. They agreed that the replacement of the old screens and consolidation of train information and wayfinding into a central bank of screens above the gates to the platforms was “a positive step and a visual improvement.”
