London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is pioneering innovative technology aimed at making it simpler for customers to board trains as part of a new digital trial. In a first for LNER, new digital display screens installed at Doncaster Railway Station will 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.
Danny Gonzalez, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at LNER, said: “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. 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 award-winning 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.”
The LNER app has just clinched the App of the Year Award at the 2022 UK Business Tech Awards. It offers customers greater choice and flexibility over their travel plans, from making fee-free seat reservations to One-Click Delay Repay.
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 WiFi.
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-Covid 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.
About LNER
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is on a mission to transform rail travel for the customers and communities we serve. Our new modern Azuma fleet of trains will continue the LNER tradition of setting new, higher standards in comfort, reliability and customer experience. LNER calls at more than 50 stations along the East Coast route, totalling 956 miles including major towns and cities between London, the East Midlands, Yorkshire, North East of England and Scotland.
