Wednesday 26 Aug 2026
‘Say hello to yellow’ – unified uniforms for staff at North’s busiest stations
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | Eastern: North & East
Passengers travelling through the North’s three biggest and busiest train stations are getting a helping hand as staff switch to a new shared colour scheme so it's easier to seek help while making rail journeys.
Station staff at Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly are now wearing yellow vests to make them easier to spot for anyone who needs support, directions or advice.
The new move sees customer service staff from Network Rail, Northern, TransPennine Express and station support staff wearing the same thing for the first time.
It's been devised to make customer assistance more visible, consistent and reassuring across some of the North’s most important transport hubs.
Today (Wednesday 26 August) a social media campaign has also been launched to raise awareness of the new uniforms ahead of the busy August bank holiday weekend.
Whether passengers need directions, accessibility support, reassurance during disruption, help finding a platform or simply someone to ask, the shared yellow vests will help customers quickly identify colleagues who are there to assist.
The scheme brings together station, train operator and support teams under a simple visual identity while keeping each organisation’s existing role and responsibilities in place.
It reflects a shared commitment to making stations feel easier to use, more accessible and more welcoming for everyone as the railway moves closer to Great British Railways.
David Dubaj-Downs, Network Rail head of customer and station transformation, said: “Stations are busy places, and we know customers sometimes need quick reassurance about who they can go to for help. By bringing colleagues from Network Rail, Northern, TransPennine Express and others together in one shared colour, we want to make that easier. If you need support, information or a friendly face, just look for yellow.”
Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director, said: “This is about putting customers first and creating one railway that is easier for customers to navigate. Many people passing through these stations are regular commuters, but others may be visiting for the first time, travelling with children, carrying luggage or needing extra help. A simple, consistent colour will make our teams more visible when customers need us.”
Adam Fairclough, deputy customer experience director and head of customer experience for TransPennine Express, said: “Our customers tell us that confidence and clarity matter, especially at large stations. This shared approach will help people feel more confident asking for help and will support better teamwork between the organisations who keep stations running every day.”
The colour change was recently introduced at Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly as part of a wider focus on improving the customer experience and accessibility at major rail hubs in the North.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Seamus McDonnell
Media relations manager, North West & Central region
Network Rail
07707869177
Seamus.McDonnell@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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