National Rail station maps: their afterlife.

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

On the National Rail web site, station maps for every station in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

Now, when they first appeared the entire set was in an almost ascii-art style. These are slowly being replaced by newer maps with a variety of styles, but what looks to be a few of the originals survive into 2023 - Hereford is one such.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/hereford/

It would be good* to hear the story of these maps, the people (hopefully more than one, there are an awful lot of stations), the software used to create them. Also, has anyone used them as a source for derivative art (possibly testing National Rail's sense of humour as to copyright...)?

Their survival puts me in mind of the apocryphal** tale of the passenger information screens at certain stations run from BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) micros long after those computers had become thoroughly outmoded***.

Mark

*     OK, minority interest, but still.
**   Was it apocryphal though?
*** Not an invitation to reflect on the merits of various BBC micro video modes with respect to passenger information systems.

[JayMac]

These maps were discussed many many years ago on this forum.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5650.0

Lots of dead links in that thread though.

[Mark A]

Thanks! A rich thread, that. Perhaps this one should be merged.

Mark

[stuving]

Thanks! A rich thread, that. Perhaps this one should be merged.

Mark

That thread started off reporting the introduction of "Stations Made Easy". I think the standard simplified station maps were needed to support that, particularly the photographs brought up by hovering over platforms, stairs, etc.

The document put out then (2009) is still on the RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on context) site. It has this on the back:

Stations Made Easy was developed by National Rail Enquiries Ltd and the Association of Train Operating Companies with support from Department for Transport, Network Rail and Transport Scotland.

In 2017 Network Rail were still referring to it and promising to help update it. However, I think (and I can't remember where I saw this) most if not all of those "dynamic" maps have now been removed, with the excuse that the original grant was not been followed by any more funding, so they can't be kept up to date. How that fits in with the requirements for access/PRM^▸ (Persons with Reduced Mobility) placed on operators and the promises made in their policy statements I can't imagine. All very shortsighted.

[ChrisB]

The document put out then (2009)

This link doesn't go anywhere?

[stuving]

The document put out then (2009)

This link doesn't go anywhere?

Sorry - my link got mangled.