Rail station safety features given human-like faces in bid to cut accidents

Handrails longing to be held and lifts feeling empty without passengers are part of a campaign to reduce accidents at railway stations.

Avanti West Coast said it has installed new posters and other artwork to add human characteristics to safety features at Stafford station, and will soon roll out the installations at Carlisle and Penrith.

Object have been designed to resemble faces with two eyes and a mouth, while speech bubbles give them voices to speak directly to passengers.

It is hoped this will mean station users will be more likely to take notice.

Figures from the Rail Safety and Standards Board show 786 passengers were seriously injured in slips, trips and falls at stations in the year to the end of March 2024, with a further 192 seriously injured in incidents involving platform edges.

At Stafford, a poster shows a lift asking passengers “Have you missed me?”, with a message stating it is behind them.

Other posters include a platform urging travellers to “Go easy on me”, and stairs declaring “I’d love your attention”.

Avanti West Coast director of safety, security and environment Dave Whitehouse said: “With the safety of our customers our top priority, we want to help them on their journey by drawing attention to the ordinary things that are available to assist them when travelling.

“We recognise stations across our network are different and people may not be familiar with the environment around them, while others may sometimes become distracted.

“This campaign aims to get customers to take notice and make it easier to navigate their way.

“By bringing to life the unsung safety features of our stations, we hope it will encourage our customers to take care of themselves, so they can get where they need to be safely.”

Behavioural science specialist Richard Shotton, who worked with the train operator to design the posters and signage, said: “Much safety messaging is ignored. These posters harness insights from behavioural science to avoid that fate.

“The touch of humour and the use of face-like images ensures that people notice and read the communications rather than turning away.”

Avanti West Coast’s predecessor on the West Coast Main Line, Virgin Trains, was renowned for its trains having talking toilets, which asked passengers not to flush inappropriate items.