Publicly-owned train operators will collaborate more and share best practice on products and services to improve accessibility on the railway.
Robin Gisby, chief executive of DFTO, the body responsible for train operators in public ownership – which already includes LNER, Northern, Southeastern, and TransPennine Express – says as more operators join the group, even more innovative solutions will come to the table.
His comments come during Deaf Awareness Week (5-11 May 2025), an annual event to promote understanding, inclusivity, and support across the UK.
Robin said: “Our train operators have been a shining light in improving the customer experience for the Deaf community as well as people with a range of other hearing impairments.
“Measures like the use of British Sign Language information screens at stations and on-board trains, are now becoming commonplace on our trains. As we welcome more train operators into public ownership, it is vital that we ensure that this high standard is maintained and we come together to drive further improvements.
“Collaboration and rolling-out best practice is a priority focus for the publicly owned train operators and we are looking forward to working with our operators across the country to improve the customer experience for everyone that travels by rail.”
Among the measures taken by DFTO train operators are:
- LNER has worked closely with the Doncaster Deaf Trust on the introduction of British Sign Language (BSL) to the departure boards across a number of their stations, something that was later recognised at the Spotlight Rail Awards.
- Northern is introducing BSL announcements on all of its services, following a successful trial on trains travelling between York, Leeds and Manchester.
- TransPennine Express recently conducted a ‘voice to screen text’ trial for impromptu conductor announcements and they have launched a training video for their colleagues in how to best-support Deaf and hard of hearing customers.
- Southeastern has been using the SignLive app to enable staff at stations across south-east London, Kent and East Sussex to speak with a live interpreter who can sign back to customers.
DFTO is the Government’s Rail Owning Group and delivery partner for its flagship rail reform public ownership programme. It is responsible for 4,500 services a day and 300 million customer journeys a year with LNER, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express.
By 2027, all passenger services in England previously operated under contracts with the DfT will become part of the DFTO group.
DFTO’s mission is to foster industry integration, deliver a safer, more punctual and reliable service for passengers and secure the best possible value for taxpayers.
For more information about DFTO, visit: gov.uk/government/organisations/dft-operator-limited.
Image credit: DFTO
