• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

London Overground signage

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

ScottGallagher

Member
Joined
9 Dec 2012
Messages
602
I was wondering what the logic was for London Overground having roundel signs on the platforms rather than their DLR , tramlink and TFL rail cousins which have banner signs like the rest of the rail network?

When crossrail opens are the outer inherited stations such as Forest Gate getting roundels or banners?

Thanks
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

T

tasky

Member
Joined
30 Oct 2018
Messages
381
If I had to guess I'd say it was to emphasise the 'TfLness' of the service when it first launched, given the Overground took over running the services from private operators. Roundels are well-associated with TfL.
 
S

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,425
They want to pretend it’s a tube line, by putting it on the tube map, and then by actively encouraging their staff to think they’re no longer part of the National Rail network, and National conditions of travel...
 
I

iphone76

Member
Joined
6 Nov 2010
Messages
917
Location
South Essex
ScottGallagher said:
I was wondering what the logic was for London Overground having roundel signs on the platforms rather than their DLR , tramlink and TFL rail cousins which have banner signs like the rest of the rail network?

When crossrail opens are the outer inherited stations such as Forest Gate getting roundels or banners?

Thanks
Click to expand...

They are currently in the process of installing purple roundels on the Eastern section stations. I have seen them at Brentwood and I think Chadwell Heath. The rest should be completed by October.

However, I should add that at Brentwood and Gidea Park the mainline platforms are getting banners which are blue with capital letter station names.
 
U

urbophile

Established Member
Joined
26 Nov 2015
Messages
2,081
Location
Liverpool
Apart from the mania for privatising and disintegrating the rail network, is there any good reason why signage over the whole national network should not conform to the same typographic and design standards? The only thing left is now the double-arrow logo. To have a standard font makes it easier to distinguish official signs from all the other commercial publicity that screams at us on every platform.
 
L

LeeLivery

Established Member
Joined
13 Jul 2014
Messages
1,462
Location
London
I do wonder how much extra money roundels cost TfL for the LO routes when normal signage (as seen at many LO stations) would've sufficed. There is also the argument that capital letters are harder to read quickly - the reason why motorway signage is written normally.

David Emmott said:
Apart from the mania for privatising and disintegrating the rail network, is there any good reason why signage over the whole national network should not conform to the same typographic and design standards? The only thing left is now the double-arrow logo. To have a standard font makes it easier to distinguish official signs from all the other commercial publicity that screams at us on every platform.
Click to expand...

There was a recommendation from the DfT (I think) for operators to install simple blue signage with white writing to save money. I believe only SWT and Thameslink have done this (Southeastern already had it).
 
59CosG95

59CosG95

Established Member
Joined
18 Aug 2013
Messages
6,492
Location
Between Peterborough & Bedlington
David Emmott said:
Apart from the mania for privatising and disintegrating the rail network, is there any good reason why signage over the whole national network should not conform to the same typographic and design standards? The only thing left is now the double-arrow logo. To have a standard font makes it easier to distinguish official signs from all the other commercial publicity that screams at us on every platform.
Click to expand...
To their credit, SWT (RIP) rolled out a standardised font across their network - I believe it was called "Brunel". It was white on a navy background; Southern also use it (with a green background), SE also use it, and EMT (also RIP) used it - though they inverted the colours (navy text on white).

I don't believe GN or TL on the MML have gone for the SWT "Brunel" approach.
 
U

urbophile

Established Member
Joined
26 Nov 2015
Messages
2,081
Location
Liverpool
Interestingly (well, interesting to nerds like me), Merseyrail use the erstwhile BR standard font (Rail Alphabet?), with added Merseyrail logo, on the stations they control. Other stations within the Merseytravel area which are run by Northern, have almost identical branding and look like any other Merseyrail station, except that the platform signs use a different font. A slightly more elegant one in my view, but it's not standard.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top