300 railway stations across North of England get tech upgrade as part of multi-million pound investment
Passengers travelling at Northern railway stations can now access clearer and more up-to-date journey information at 300 stations, following a significant technology upgrade funded through a multi-million pound investment programme.
As part of the project, more than 700 new customer information screens and 530 public announcement speakers have been installed across the rail network. The upgrades have been rolled out at locations throughout the North of England, including Bentham, Bingley, Hale, Hazel Grove, Mossley Hill, Maryport, Shildon and Sunderland.
The improvements form part of a five-year initiative, now entering its final phase, and are expected to be fully completed by March 2027. The new digital display screens feature high-contrast white LED technology designed for improved visibility, particularly benefiting customers with visual impairments.
In many cases, the screens are significantly larger than those previously in use and display real-time departure times, service updates and safety messages in an easy-to-read format.
Northern’s commercial and customer director, Alex Hornby, said: “Customers deserve the best quality of information when making their journey with us, and we are investing millions of pounds to ensure we deliver this.
“Up-to-date information about our services and clear announcements at our stations are vital. We will continue to listen to customer feedback and make such improvements, so they can enjoy simpler, straight-forward journeys when they’re travelling across our network.”
The information upgrade comes as part of a wider push by Northern to make its services more accessible. Recent developments include the installation of dozens of Passenger Assistance Points, the expansion of its mobility scooter scheme to eight additional stations, and trials of new initiatives such as priority seating and British Sign Language announcements.
One ongoing trial allows passengers travelling on the Preston to Colne line to scan a QR code to notify conductors they need assistance—up to ten minutes before departure from unstaffed stations.
In parallel, Northern is implementing a performance improvement strategy aimed at reducing service cancellations to no more than 2% and ensuring 90% of trains arrive within three minutes of schedule by the end of 2027.
Northern is the UK’s second largest train operator, running 2,650 services daily to over 500 stations across the North of England.