Train timetable reinterpreted...

Post date: May 21, 2013 9:57:19 AM

20 May 2013

Those of you who are familiar with the work of Agito will know that transport accessibility is a particular interest of ours.

One area we are especially keen on is ensuring that the public have good access to clear and understandable information on the transport choices available to them. We believe that this is fundamental to promoting sustainable travel.

We have recently been supporting the Friends of Heaton Chapel Station – between Manchester and Stockport – in the development of a Station Travel Plan.

As part of this we have considered how the information on the train services available is conveyed to the community around the station.

There are the usual “alphabetical” timetable posters displayed at the station showing the times of departures to every station served by trains calling at Heaton Chapel. Northern Trains produce individual timetable leaflets for each route they operate. However, Heaton Chapel is served by trains on three different routes. There is also a summary timetable available showing all trains between Stockport and Manchester.

On top of these, TfGM, produce a “pocket guide” showing the times of trains to and from Heaton Chapel.

Thus, the casual user, and those unfamiliar with the mechanics of the railway has a plethora of information, although not all of it presents the complete picture and none of it is particularly user friendly.

As the majority of users are travelling to and from Manchester, they would simply be interested in the times of the trains to and from the City Centre.

Agito felt that the timetable information could be reinterpreted into a much clearer and accessible format.    In addition, we believed that there was a promotional opportunity to highlight the clock-face times of the 4 trains per hour through much of the day.

The result is shown below. This can be downloaded to a Smartphone and will also shortly be printed up as a credit card sized leaflet which can be slipped into a wallet or purse for easy reference.