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Monday 27 Nov 2006

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT, THE FUTURE’S ORANGE AT ASHTON STATION

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Rail passengers at Ashton-under-Lyne station can see future train services more clearly now that new information screens with bright orange graphics have been installed by Network Rail. The new screens at Ashton are part of a £3.5 million scheme funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) covering 40 stations throughout the country and were officially ‘unveiled’ by Councillor Alan Whitehead, chair of GMPTA’s Transport Network Committee. Councillor Whitehead said: “This is a great improvement for people who use Ashton rail station. Reliable information about services is a high priority for passengers so it is important that train-running information is as clear and accessible as possible. “The money from the Department for Transport will certainly benefit local train users. These latest improvements build on the recent work by GMPTA to install lifts and improve the waiting area and ticket office at the station. The new screens will also help to give the station a more modern look.” On each platform there is a ‘next train departure’ screen with three lines of text. The first line shows the departure time and final destination of the next train to arrive at the platform. The middle line is a scrolling list of stations the train calls at and the last line changes every few seconds to give details of the second and third trains to leave from that platform. In the ticket office/waiting room and the station entrance there are screens that list up to a dozen of the next departures, showing the destination station name, time of departure, platform number and on time or expected time if delayed. The new screens use the latest display technology, a mixture of orange LED displays in strong sunlight areas on the platforms and flat screens in waiting rooms. Both meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act because they are clearer to read and have large characters. The station, which is owned by Network Rail, is managed on a daily basis by train operator Northern Rail. Jamie Ross, area director, Northern Rail added: “We understand the importance of providing clear information to our passengers and the new screens are a step forward in delivering this.” Other GMPTE stations that benefited from new information screens as part of the DfT project in include Altrincham, Cheadle Hulme, Rochdale and Wigan Wallgate. In a separate scheme funded by Network Rail, Manchester Oxford Road, Deansgate, Salford Crescent, Bolton and Stockport will all have the new equipment by early in the New Year. Network Rail’s area general manager Jo Kaye said: “The new screens at Ashton and Altrincham will complement the others we are providing at key stations in and around Manchester. They will replace old television-style screens that were the height of technology when introduced 20 years or more ago but look so out dated in these days of fast moving digital communications.”