New Rail Alphabet Font: A Revival of a British Classic

    New Rail Alphabet is a typeface that has a long and rich history in the United Kingdom. It was originally designed by Margaret Calvert of Kinneir Calvert Associates in the early 1960s, as part of a comprehensive signage system for the National Health Service, British Rail, and Danish Rail. The typeface was inspired by the European sans serif fonts of the time, such as Akzidenz Grotesk and Helvetica, but with a more humanistic and friendly touch. The typeface was praised for its clarity, legibility, and simplicity, and became a symbol of modernity and efficiency in Britain.

    In 2009, a newly digitised version of the typeface was publicly released. Created by Henrik Kubel of A2-TYPE in close collaboration with Margaret Calvert, New Rail Alphabet features six weights: off white, white, light, medium, bold and black, with non-aligning numerals, corresponding italics and a set of Eastern European characters. The typeface preserves the original design principles and proportions, but with subtle adjustments and refinements to suit contemporary needs and standards. The typeface also has a working title of Britanica.

New Rail Alphabet Font