The Railways on Monday announced for a new pattern of signages at railway premises including the stations across India to give a uniform standardised look on the basis of colour, font and use of pictograms for the ease of passengers similar to the ones at airports.
Releasing a booklet containing details of the project, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Indian Railways, which is redeveloping 1,275 stations across India under the 'Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme', will seek to have uniform signages across stations to make it convenient for passengers.
“As you all know, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Indian Railways has been working tirelessly to enhance passenger experience at railway stations. It was felt to issue standard guidelines on signages at stations that will be consistent and adequate. Today, I am delighted to release the booklet on Standard Signages at Stations on Indian Railways. The Indian Railways will adopt modern, standard signages, which are 'divyang (differently-abled)' friendly,” Vaishnaw said.
The Railways network has the largest number of stations in the world. It is important that every passenger should have easy access to facilities by having standard signage, he said.
The booklet on Standard signages at Stations on Indian Railways prioritises simple language, clear font, easy-to-see colours and intuitive pictograms. It is made keeping in mind the requirements of all passengers, including the elderly, women, children and 'divyangjan', etc, a railway ministry statement said.
It said the colours of signages, type and size of fonts have been standardised. The concept of grouping of signages has been introduced for faster way-finding. New tertiary boards displaying station names with tricolour backgrounds have been introduced.
Emphasis has been laid on providing intuitive wayfinding and availability of signages on key decision-making points. While there is emphasis on standardisation of signages, the need for flexibility in case of stations with strong architectural vocabulary has also been recognised.