Euston railway station has switched off its giant advertising billboard after an outcry from commuters who criticised the replacement of vital passenger information screens.
The decision comes after mass cancellations on Avanti West Coast trains left thousands of passengers frustrated and confused on the station’s overcrowded concourse.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh intervened, directing Network Rail to disable the 200ft screen, which had been displaying advertisements for Canadian holidays, ITVX, and the Transformers film, rather than crucial travel updates. Haigh acknowledged that Euston station has “simply not been good enough for passengers” and demanded immediate action to improve conditions.
The screen had replaced one of the largest passenger information boards in the UK, and the decision to swap it out was widely criticised by commuters as a “terrible decision,” especially during periods of significant disruption. With cancellations affecting routes to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other destinations, passengers were left without access to key travel information, sparking widespread frustration.
In response to the backlash, Network Rail confirmed that the billboard had been switched off and that a review would be conducted to assess the screen’s impact on congestion at the station. “The question is whether the screen is contributing to congestion or not making a difference, or indeed if it’s actually having a positive impact,” a spokesman said. The station will use heat modelling to monitor how the screen shutdown affects passenger movement.
Network Rail insisted that the new configuration of passenger information boards improves circulation at the station, with a spokesperson noting, “We will never be going back to a bulkhead departure board. However popular it was, the facts prove that it was a hindrance to moving around the station.”
The shutdown of the advertising screen is part of a broader five-point plan designed to enhance the experience for passengers at Euston. Additional measures include creating more concourse space, improving how the station operates during disruptions, and enhancing the reliability of train services on the West Coast Main Line.
Gary Walsh, route director for West Coast South, admitted that the recent passenger experience at Euston had fallen short, saying, “We need to do better.” He expressed confidence that the five-point plan would make a meaningful difference in the short term by easing congestion and providing clearer passenger information.
Euston station is also in discussions with advertising company JCDecaux, which owns the billboard, to explore the possibility of displaying passenger information on the screen during times of severe disruption on the West Coast Main Line. Known as the Euston Motion+, the screen first went live in January as part of a campaign devised by Saatchi & Saatchi for energy company Ovo.