station environment

People wait at a station
station environment
  • Station furniture
  • Design details
  • Environment
  • Colour palette
  • Surfaces

There are more than 1400 Regional Railways stations. The variety is enormous. So is the context in which they are set. There are major terminii in urban settings, local halts in the wildest countryside and everything in between. For this reason the new corporate identity was designed to add to the best characteristics of a particular locale with discretion, not to impose itself brashly as if applying a red hot branding iron. The aim is to encourage passengers and staff with regional allegiances to think in terms of ‘my station, in the care of Regional Railways’, not ‘my locality, taken over lock, stock and barrel by Regional Railways’.

The key phrase here is ‘in the care of’. No amount of tasteful paintwork makes up for malfunctioning lavatories, litter-strewn platforms, broken windows in unheated waiting rooms, potholes in the forecourt and misleading sign systems. The travelling public does not make huge demands of the average station. It is well within our powers to meet all their demands fully and consistently. Bad impressions last. Creating a good impression through attention to this kind of detail is an absolute essential of a successful corporate identity. To maintain the impression is to create new business.

There is a special group of colours to be used on Regional Railways stations, not just the brand shades of blue and grey. This environmental colour palette can be used to bring out the best in any station. The Identity Management binder contains guidance on how to use the colours – whether for large areas, or as highlights, or for specific purposes. Many of our stations will deserve colour schedules specifically drawn up by your profit centre architect.

A relatively small range of station furniture will be available, some of it specially designed and made. It will include waiting shelters, seating, litter bins and lighting. We recognise that it is not easy to furnish a station functionally and make it look good and remain within a strict budget. So we recommend that managers ask their architect for advice. He or she will also advise on the adaptation, refurbishment and renewal of buildings and the built environment, including fencing, pavings and planting.

station environment – colours

Station awning

A specially
designed shelter
called The Classic
incorporates the
basic principles
and standards. All
round visibility and
a barrel-vaulted or
pitched roof.

Decorative details
require sensitive
and creative
treatment with the
colour palette.

Column
Information boards

Surfaces must be
appropriate, robust
and pleasing to
the eye.
Landscaping is
particularly
important.

A modular
information
structure will take
departure sheets,
maps and other
useful information.

This shelter also
incorporates the
basic features.

Maceman ‘Public’
is available with
timber-slatted or
performated steel
seats.

Fencing offers
much scope for
attention to detail
and is an
important element
in unifying the
station.

Spot colours

Spot colours
for highlighting

Theme colours

Principal or theme colours.

Basic colours including black and white

The environmental
colour palette
consists of 3
principal colours,
one of which may
be combined with 

any of the neutrals.
Brighter spot
colours are used
sparingly to
highlight special
features.

Station environment – a brief summary

Station environment policy – a brief summary

Environmental colour palette

Not to be confused with the group of Regional Railways house colours, the environmental colour palette has been specially devised to cope with all types and styles of Regional Railways stations. It comprises three principal (or theme) colours, a series of neutrals as base colours, and spot colours used sparingly to highlight special features.

Paint samples can be found in the Identity Management binder.

Station furniture

There will be a range of Regional Railways station furniture from which items can be chosen to suit a particular station’s environment and budget. The items included will cover waiting shelters, litter bins, seating, fencing, platform surfaces, cycle racks, planters, bollards and lighting. For information on both the furniture and the environmental colour palette contact your architect.

Information structure

The Regional Railways modular information structure takes single or double size poster and can be wall or post mounted, double or single sided. It is available in units with two, three or four single size poster frames. A double size poster frame may replace two singles as required. Contact the Publicity Controller for details of production and installation.

The heading panel has the information ‘i’ symbol, the word ‘Information’ and the Regional Railways branding strip with the fleximark. Only rail information should be displayed under this heading. Rail information includes departure sheets, local rail network maps and the ‘Useful Information’ poster. These have been specially designed to complement the header panel. The structures must not be used to display promotional material.

If a structure is required to display local information for the customer leaving the station, or heritage information associated with an approved line image then either the ‘Local Information’ header or a special heritage signing header must be used. See the Identity Management binder or the Signing Negotiation document (described in the Station Signing section of this brochure) for details of the header panels.

Leaflet racks

A leaflet rack has been specially designed to hold both the new format timetables and our full range of leaflets. Contact the Publicity Controller for details of production and installation.

Working group

The Identity Working Group on Stations meets regularly to assess design quality, approve items of station furniture and application of the identity and to monitor new projects. See the Contacts pages in this brochure or in the Identity Management binder for a list of current members.

1992 // THIS IS TRANSDIFFUSION