New and updated railway Standards covering station design, accessibility and passenger facilities have been introduced by RSSB, with the changes intended to make stations easier to navigate while giving project teams clearer requirements when designing upgrades.
The latest Standards update includes new requirements around signage, navigation and tactile guidance, alongside changes covering station facilities, lighting, CCTV and passenger circulation areas.
RSSB says the Standards will support greater consistency across new and refurbished stations, helping accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability to be considered earlier in the design process and reducing the potential for costly rework later in a project.
The station changes form part of a wider package of Standards updates spanning freight operations, signalling and workforce safety which RSSB expects to deliver more than £50 million of industry benefit over the next five years.
More consistent approach to station navigation
A key focus of the update is how passengers find their way through stations.
Clearer requirements have been established for signs, navigation routes and tactile guidance, with the intention of creating a more consistent experience across the network.
While improved wayfinding has benefits for all passengers, the changes are particularly relevant for people with visual impairments and other accessibility requirements, as well as passengers navigating unfamiliar stations.
The requirements are designed to provide station designers with greater clarity about how these features should be incorporated into new and refurbished infrastructure from the outset.
Tom Lee, RSSB’s Director of Standards, said: “Good station design makes a real difference to passengers. Clear signs, well-designed facilities and safe, welcoming environments help people move around stations more easily and travel with greater confidence and independence.
“These changes will help create more consistent and accessible stations across the network, while giving project teams clearer requirements from the start. That means a better experience for passengers and more efficient delivery of station improvements.”
New framework for station facilities
RSSB has also introduced a new station facilities Standard, establishing a consistent framework for the facilities that should be provided across different types of station.
The intention is to give designers and project teams clearer guidance when planning new stations or undertaking refurbishment and upgrade programmes.
Requirements covering platforms, waiting areas, circulation routes and station forecourts have also been clarified, alongside modernised provisions for CCTV, emergency lighting and energy efficiency.
Together, the changes broaden the focus beyond individual station assets towards how different elements combine to create a safe, accessible and usable passenger environment.
Earlier decisions could reduce project rework
For station designers and the wider supply chain, one of the important elements of the update is its potential influence on decisions made during the early stages of projects.
Accessibility or passenger requirements identified late in design development can result in redesign, additional cost and programme pressure.
Providing clearer requirements from the beginning should allow designers to incorporate accessibility, inclusivity, passenger facilities and sustainability as fundamental elements of a scheme rather than attempting to accommodate them later.
The changes also complement RSSB’s recently launched Stations Hub, which brings station-related Standards and guidance together in one place and provides designers with tools to navigate and cross-reference the requirements relevant to their projects.
Taken together, the Hub and updated Standards represent an effort to make both the requirements themselves and the process of finding and applying them more straightforward.
Wider Standards changes for freight and digital railway
Stations are only one part of RSSB’s latest update.
New freight Standards have been introduced to support safer and more efficient freight operations, while route knowledge requirements have been updated to reflect the industry’s transition towards digital signalling technologies.
Changes have also been made to the Rule Book with the aim of improving track worker safety and operational efficiency.
RSSB estimates the combined package of Standards changes will generate more than £50 million of benefit for the industry over the next five years.
For station projects in particular, the changes reflect a growing emphasis on designing accessibility and passenger experience into infrastructure from the beginning. Providing a more consistent set of requirements should give clients, designers and contractors greater certainty about what needs to be delivered – while helping ensure that new and refurbished stations work effectively for the widest possible range of passengers.
