Train operator Northern has started a one-year trial of GoodMaps, a free app that provides customers information to find their way around railway stations without needing to ask staff for help.

GoodMaps has been made available at Manchester Victoria, Bolton, Blackpool North, and Meadowhall.

Making use of AI, the app. is designed to assist anyone unfamiliar with the stations, including people with visual or hearing impairments, neurodiverse individuals, and those who do not speak English as a first language. It will also allow people using trains to travel with the same confidence as everyone else.

The app provides users with step-by-step audio guidance and a visual map, and they can select from a range of languages.

It also allows them to change the font, text size, and text colour, or use a read-aloud function.

Northern introduced the app. after its website was made more accessible with the installation of ‘Recite Me’ software to help customers check train times and find out the latest information about services.

Railway stations can be busy, noisy, and disorientating places, and the app. will make it easier to navigate these challenging spaces and reduce the barriers faced by many passengers.

The app is already available at most major stations in the UK and at some tram and bus stations in Greater Manchester.

Northern’s website has been using Street View 3D since 2021 to enable customers to navigate through its stations and explore them virtually in 3D, whilst several train operators, including TransPennine Express
and Transport for Wales have installed tactile maps at some of their stations.

“Driving up accessibility standards across the railway is key for Northern and this is yet another example of how we are giving customers more confidence to travel around four of our stations. This trial will help inform us in the years ahead and is part of our ongoing work to make our stations and services more accessible. We would really welcome feedback from our customers on the app and how else we can create further improvements.”

Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director