Media centre

Thursday 16 Oct 2025

New railway timepiece marks new beginning for Britain’s railway and celebrates 200 years of trains

Region & Route:

National

Today, Network Rail and partners across the Government and railway industry marked the launch of the railway’s first national clock design for over 50 years*, at London Bridge station.

The London timepiece by WPP brand design agency Design Bridge and Partners was the winning entry in an international design competition run in a partnership between Network Rail and the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Design Museum.

Selected out of more than 100 entrants, Design Bridge and Partners’ winning piece was chosen as it works as a physical and digital timepiece, while reflecting the design and brand history of the railway and most importantly, make it easy to know what time it is in a busy railway station.

The railway clock has been designed to provide an easy to read and accessible clock that passengers can read on the move, as well as providing a place to meet and help navigate busy stations.

Now created as a huge 1.8m physical clock at London Bridge, the rail clock will also appear in digital form on departure boards across the network, launching across several other Network Rail-managed stations today, including London Waterloo, London Victoria and London Charing Cross station.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy, said: “British ingenuity and passion are the foundations of the railway, from the very first passenger service 200 years ago to the millions of rail journeys now taken every day. This clock represents a bridge between the historic past and a new future for our railways.

“As part of our Plan for Change, this Government will create an integrated railway network that’s more reliable, consistent, efficient and accountable, thus delivering growth, jobs and homes. Good design, like this brilliant, clever timepiece, is a fundamental part of achieving this.”

Anthony Dewar, Network Rail, commented: “Two hundred years after the first railway opened in Britain, we’re about to embark on a new journey as a railway, putting passengers first. Part of that journey will be giving everyone the same positive experience across all parts of the network, and design is central to that.

“A clock is the first thing people look for when they arrive at a station. The railway is driven by time, being ‘on time’ is our promise to passengers, and clocks have always provided landmarks for people to meet at and use to navigate their way around stations. This design provides a proud and eye-catching centrepiece and acts as a brilliant reminder of the new journey we’re about to undertake together.”

Mark Wood, Creative Partner, Design Bridge and Partners, said: “We are incredibly proud to have won the ‘Timepiece for the Railway’ competition. Our partnership with Network Rail, RIBA and the Design Museum has been highly collaborative, and seeing Rail Clock come to life is immensely rewarding. Our ambition was to create a new icon of British design that creates lasting impact, and we hope Rail Clock becomes the face of time across the railway for many years to come.”

Rail Clock was created with advice from accessibility experts, using easy-to-read numbers in a slightly amended version of the railway’s own typeface, Rail Alphabet 2. The famous railway double arrow logo splits and travels round the rim of the clock every 60 seconds, giving a calm centrepiece to bustling stations. Margaret Calvert, designer of Rail Alphabet, and Gerry Barney, creator of the double arrow logo, were consulted in the clock’s creation.

Chris Williamson, RIBA President, said: “We were thrilled to partner with Network Rail and The Design Museum on this exciting initiative. Architecture competitions are vital for driving innovation, new approaches to design and showcasing the vast talent within our industry and we look forward to seeing the winning entry come to life and become a central piece to our railways.” 

Rail Clock can also be adapted for use in any digital format, from phones to smart watches. Developed in partnership with professional services company Cognizant, the clock will be made available to the public as a watchface via the Android app stores in the coming months.

Margaret Calvert, Competition Judge, said: “We were looking for something exceptional. And the outcome is an accessible piece of design that's made for everyone who uses the railway.”

Gerry Barney, Creator of The Double Arrow, said: “In 1965, It was wonderful to win the competition to design the symbol of our railway: "The Double Arrow". Now in 2025, I’m thrilled to see the winning entry that continues to celebrate it in a new timepiece for future generations of rail passengers to enjoy – What Design Bridge and Partners have created is really magic.”

London Bridge station is the perfect location to launch the physical clock as it was home to the second electrically-controlled railway clock in the world, installed in 1852, linked to a master clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The 1.8m diameter physical clock unveiled today at London Bridge is the station’s first major timepiece since it was rebuilt in 2018 and is a proud link to the past.

*The last national clock design for Britain’s railways was created as part of British Rail’s 1974 design manual. Since privatisation in 1996, the railway has had multiple clocks of many different designs. 

** Lewisham station had the honour of being the first station, owing to its proximity to Greenwich.