A screen displaying travel information for commuters in British Sign Language has gone live at Manchester's Piccadilly railway station.
Network Rail bosses said they hoped the new feature would give deaf passengers and those with acute hearing difficulties added confidence to travel through stations and on board trains.
The touchscreen displays key travel information in written form - including what platforms trains depart from, the times of their scheduled departures and arrivals and their destinations. A video of a signer underneath relays the same details to commuters using BSL.
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Network Rail said some of the country’s busiest railway stations, including Liverpool Lime Street and Birmingham New Street, now also have the sign language announcements.
Euston station was the first to pilot the technology in 2021, which has been developed over the last three years with Nottingham-based screen manufacturer LB Foster.
Sign language interpreters have created a library of standard messaging as part of the screen software, which can be seen instantly.
But Network Rail said a key feature was a team of interpreters are on standby to make bespoke signed information as situations evolve - like for periods of unexpected disruption and sudden delays on the network. Within an hour messaging can be turned into British Sign Language and videos uploaded directly to the screens using 4G.
Dave Penney, Network Rail's North West and Central region passenger director, said: "I'm really proud that the pioneering work started by the team at Euston station two years ago has now been rolled out at stations across the country to benefit deaf passengers who rely on British Sign Language.
"We know that rail travel can be daunting for anyone with specific needs, and I really hope this makes a difference to give people confidence to travel by rail. We are always developing new ways to improve accessibility so it's great this initiative is being adopted far and wide."
Network Rail owns and operates Britain's railway infrastructure and runs 20s of the UK's largest railway stations.
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