Stations rebranded to Great British Railways design / Rail Alphabet 2 & 3

[Trainfan2019]

It looks like Crewe has had some more GBR rail alphabet 2 signs this week. The Weston Road sign is an updated version of one previously installed when the rail alphabet 2 signs started appearing.

My photos below show new rail alphabet station signs at Crewe. Black lettering on white background.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

It looks like Crewe has had some more GBR rail alphabet 2 signs this week. The Weston Road sign is an updated version of one previously installed when the rail alphabet 2 signs started appearing.

My photos below show new rail alphabet station signs at Crewe. Black lettering on white background.

The Avanti ones at Wigan North Western have also started to be replaced, although they haven’t actually put the new ones up on the northbound platform meaning there’s no nameboards on that one!

Here are the new southbound ones.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Both Crewe and Wigan North Western looking promising there, i'd say v3 of the Wayfinding guidence being adhered too for those... Apparently Warrington Bank Quay also getting correct signage recently aswell.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Both Crewe and Wigan North Western looking promising there, i'd say v3 of the Wayfinding guidence being adhered too for those... Apparently Warrington Bank Quay also getting correct signage recently aswell.

The more I see it, the more I really like it

 

[thomalex]

Both Crewe and Wigan North Western looking promising there, i'd say v3 of the Wayfinding guidence being adhered too for those... Apparently Warrington Bank Quay also getting correct signage recently aswell.

Just as shame about the ‘Way Out’, capital O, on the Wigan signs

 

[Trainfan2019]

Well spotted with the capital 'O' for the way out on Wigan signs. My Crewe is lower case o and looks better than upper case.

Checked at Stafford on Saturday and no more new signs there yet. I think there's just 2 GBR rail alphabet 2 signs there which have been there a while now.

My favourite one so far is at Crewe and is in-between platform 6 and platform 11. It's the really big sign in rail alphabet 2 that isn't too easy to find or see when on trains. More a case of 'great big station name sign, let's pluck a location out of thin air to install it's.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Just as shame about the ‘Way Out’, capital O, on the Wigan signs

Good spot!! So there are still the odd discrepences getting through then...

 

[Trainfan2019]

Here's the large tucked away rail alphabet 2 Crewe sign mentioned in my post up thread.

Photo below shows large Crewe station sign, black letters on white background in rail alphabet 2 font.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Here's the large tucked away rail alphabet 2 Crewe sign mentioned in my post up thread.

Photo below shows large Crewe station sign, black letters on white background in rail alphabet 2 font.

View attachment 200167

Are you sure that's RA2? Something seems off about that.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Here's the large tucked away rail alphabet 2 Crewe sign mentioned in my post up thread.

Photo below shows large Crewe station sign, black letters on white background in rail alphabet 2 font.

View attachment 200167

That isn't rail alphabet 2... I'm not actually convinced its even Rail Alphabet, looks a tad old too, may'be moved from elsewhere on the station?

 

[birchesgreen]

That isn't rail alphabet 2... I'm not actually convinced its even Rail Alphabet, looks a tad old too, may'be moved from elsewhere on the station?

Looks like RA1 to me.

 

[bengley]

That sign is the original Rail Alphabet and has been there for years

 

[Trainfan2019]

That sign is the original Rail Alphabet and has been there for years

It's appears different to the few original rail alphabet signs still left on the station though as they are a dirty shade of white. The one in my photo is on a very (too) clean white background when close to it and the font doesn't seem exactly like the original rail alphabet.

Font size seems larger and/or bolder than the new platform signs in my example below.

Photo below shows new rail alphabet 2 sign, black letters and red double arrows symbol on white background.

 

[Chriso]

Euston has been fully done

 

[pr1]

Euston has been fully done

From departure screens to toilets and wayfareing, is Euston ever truly done?

 

[crablab]

The ticket machines at Reading have been repainted and recieved some RA2. Looking much smarter.

 

[Electrostar387]

The ticket machines at Reading have been repainted and recieved some RA2. Looking much smarter.

RA2 looking nice enough, personally not sure am a fan of Battleship Grey for the machine itself though.

 

[Chriso]

From departure screens to toilets and wayfareing, is Euston ever truly done?

pretty much I mean there may be the odd blue one left here and there but majority finished.

I must admit I didn’t fully audit the toilets will leave that to another member

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Mar 2026 ==

The ticket machines at Reading have been repainted and recieved some RA2. Looking much smarter.

I have seen this previously on GWR & like it

 

[BurtonM]

Nice to see people agreeing that Northern are doing things badly and on the cheap for once. I feel like I'm talking to myself about that sometimes.

 

[Chriso]

Came across this at Enfield Chase yesterday which I haven’t seen before

 

[Leyland Bus]

Came across this at Enfield Chase yesterday which I haven’t seen before

Oh dear...

 

[vuzzeho]

Came across this at Enfield Chase yesterday which I haven’t seen before

That is not the new GBR/RA2 style, but the new TLGN style. They are seemingly still rolling it out, despite the fact that they have just over a month left.

 

[Goldfish62]

That is not the new GBR/RA2 style, but the new TLGN style. They are seemingly still rolling it out, despite the fact that they have just over a month left.

SWR have installed replacement and new signage in their style since being nationalised. Minor stuff like Way Out signage, but it's still in the SWT/SWR style.

 

[vuzzeho]

SWR have installed replacement and new signage in their style since being nationalised. Minor stuff like Way Out signage, but it's still in the SWT/SWR style.

Interesting. The rollout is seemingly very inconsistent - Euston is near 100% done, even though it started before LNR/AWC were nationalised! King's Cross is completely untouched, London Bridge is in a strange '2 platforms are done, the rest is not', and Waterloo was going strong on the rollout but that momentum seems to have stopped.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That is not the new GBR/RA2 style, but the new TLGN style. They are seemingly still rolling it out, despite the fact that they have just over a month left.

Chiltern are still rolling out (mostly done I think) their new style too - I also ask why they're doing that now? It's like they want to leave a mark...

 

[RailWonderer]

Came across this at Enfield Chase yesterday which I haven’t seen before

It looks far better than the non-descript RA2. I wonder if this is a rebel move by TLGN.

Chiltern are still rolling out (mostly done I think) their new style too - I also ask why they're doing that now? It's like they want to leave a mark...

I definitely encourage it. It's insanity the DfT would have spent money on such a generic RA2. They could have chosen the generic Frutiger font many airports use if they wanted to be nondescript and they would've saved a ton of money. If you pay for branding, you want something like SBB, ÖBB, DB, SNCF, something sharp with simple subtle colours and shapes that are memorable.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I definitely encourage it. It's insanity the DfT would have spent money on such a generic RA2. They could have chosen the generic Frutiger font many airports use if they wanted to be nondescript and they would've saved a ton of money. If you pay for branding, you want something like SBB, ÖBB, DB, SNCF, something sharp with simple subtle colours and shapes that are memorable.

While I think the arrows are hideous I'd encourage anyone who wonders how good RA2 signage could look to go and have a look at what has been done at Birmingham New St, which has a unique white on black variant on most directional signage. It really does look superb. It's the 1970s BR-era black on white (which quickly shows dirt) that is what makes it look so utterly awful.

 

[Russel]

Came across this at Enfield Chase yesterday which I haven’t seen before

That actually looks really smart.

 

[vuzzeho]

I definitely encourage it. It's insanity the DfT would have spent money on such a generic RA2. They could have chosen the generic Frutiger font many airports use if they wanted to be nondescript and they would've saved a ton of money. If you pay for branding, you want something like SBB, ÖBB, DB, SNCF, something sharp with simple subtle colours and shapes that are memorable.

I think New Street (as mentioned by Bletchleyite) and Euston look great. I think the 'generic' look of RA2 is simply just down to the fact that the simplest way to get an inoffensive, accessible, easy to implement nationally wayfinding style is to make it simple. I also think as GBR comes into being, develops a design team, and comes into its stride that we'll start to see RA2 rolled out in more interesting ways - the new sign style (with the red sides) looks very smart imo.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think New Street (as mentioned by Bletchleyite) and Euston look great. I think the 'generic' look of RA2 is simply just down to the fact that the simplest way to get an inoffensive, accessible, easy to implement nationally wayfinding style is to make it simple. I also think as GBR comes into being, develops a design team, and comes into its stride that we'll start to see RA2 rolled out in more interesting ways - the new sign style (with the red sides) looks very smart imo.

Euston doesn't look as bad as it could, but that's because the signage is new and clean (though the arrows still look stupid). When it starts getting mucky it'll look as bad as any BR signage did in the 80s.

New St's backlit black will hide muck far better.