LNER trailing new digital display to make travel easier

Credit: LNER

New digital display screens are being installed at Doncaster railway station by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) to advise customers of the train layouts and where they should wait on the platform to board the correct coach. The technology will be trialled on two platforms for three months with the additional information helping better inform customers of where available seats can be found, where to wait for their booked seat as well as listing calling points and arrival times. It’s hoped the signs will make boarding simpler and smoother while further enhancing punctuality. They will also highlight the locations of the onboard Café Bar, bicycle spaces and priority seats. If the trial proves successful, the screens could be rolled out across LNER’s eleven managed stations.

Credit: LNER

Digital innovations

“We believe digital innovation and our work to continually improve our customer experience are key parts of LNER’s success in leading the industry when it comes to welcoming people back to rail,” Danny Gonzalez, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at LNER, said. “The new information screens being trialled at Doncaster are just the latest way we are working to make travel simpler and smarter. Our customers can already sign-up for live journey updates via the LNER app and use a QR code to order refreshments directly to their seat through our ‘Let’s Eat At Your Seat’ service in Standard and we have further exciting digital innovations ahead as we put our customers first.”

An Edgecasting trial is already underway by LNER enabling customers to stream thousands of shows from the ITV Hub onboard a selected number of LNER Azuma trains. In a first of its kind in the UK, it means passengers can enjoy the on-demand content without it draining their personal data allowance or using the onboard Wi-Fi.

LNER continues to welcome the most number of customers back to its services when compared with pre-pandemic usage than any other franchised operator according to the latest results published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in October 2022. LNER has topped the table for a record fifth consecutive quarter with passenger numbers now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Data from LNER shows more than 15 million passengers have travelled across its network so far this year, more than double the same period last year.