§ Transport · National station · London
London Euston.
44 million passengers,
one app.
Network Rail and GoMedia (an Icomera subsidiary) chose NaviLens as the visual-detection layer for Visor, their accessible wayfinding product. The pilot was deployed at London Euston —the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line— with NaviLens codes on accesses, outer aisles, «Way out» signs, toilets, water fountains and all 18 platforms. A blind passenger opens the app and hears the platform, the live departure («09:20 Manchester Piccadilly platform 5») or the way to Burger King — with no assistance needed. The rollout won Service of the Year and Delivering for the Customer at the SPOTLIGHT Rail Awards 2023.
§ The deployment in pictures
From the Underground to platform 18.
Every NaviLens code was installed alongside the «SCAN FROM 14M FAR AWAY» pictogram. The app captures —Powered by GoMedia— show how the code links to Network Rail's live feed and the station's commercial directory.
44 M
Passengers / year at Euston — the busiest national station on the West Coast Main Line
18
Platforms and the entire concourse covered with NaviLens codes on floor, pillars and signs
14 m
Maximum scanning distance for the large code — no focusing or framing needed
2 ×
«Service of the Year» and «Delivering for the Customer» — SPOTLIGHT Rail Awards 2023
The client
Network Rail · GoMedia (Icomera)
Network Rail manages the UK's rail infrastructure and operates London Euston, the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line with almost 44 million passengers a year and direct connections to Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
GoMedia, an Icomera subsidiary, develops Visor: an accessible wayfinding layer combining NaviLens (visual detection) with the operator's live feeds (departures, platforms, facilities). Visor ships via the station's own app or via NaviLens GO.
The challenge
Crossing Euston unassisted.
- 01
The UK's most chaotic station
Euston is the southern end of the West Coast Main Line: 44 million passengers a year, platforms announced at short notice, permanent works for the future HS2 and a concourse with scarce accessible signage. For a blind or partially sighted person, finding the platform, the toilet or a coffee shop always required staff assistance — when available.
- 02
Dynamic information, not just orientation
Saying «this way to platform 5» wasn't enough. The physical code had to link to the live departure feed (09:20 Manchester Piccadilly · 09:24 Northampton · 09:30 Glasgow Central…) and to the station facilities (Burger King, Upper Crust, Mobility Assistance Reception, toilets, water fountains) so a traveller could plan the whole journey from their phone.
- 03
No civil works or proprietary infrastructure
A station operated by Network Rail does not allow heavy interventions. The solution had to be lightweight, removable and compatible with the rest of British signage — printable codes mounted on signs, columns and floors without touching the architecture.
§ The solution
Visor + NaviLens,
one read.
GoMedia built Visor on top of NaviLens: the code is read from 14 m away, without focusing and on the move, and the traveller hears the context in their language («You're at Euston station entrance»), live departures and a navigable menu of station facilities, food, drinks & shops or Mobility Assistance Reception.
Choosing a destination —«Go to the Burger King»— the app activates a green arrow overlaid on the code saying Straight, Right… scan after scan. The same code serves both fully sighted users and blind passengers — replacing the conventional QR code with no civil works or proprietary infrastructure.
§ Timeline
From Euston pilot to a double national award.
2021
Visor designed on top of NaviLens
GoMedia (an Icomera subsidiary specialised in onboard and in-station data) picks NaviLens as the visual-detection layer for its accessible wayfinding product Visor, replacing the conventional QR thanks to its 14 m, focus-free, on-the-move read.
Apr 2022
Pilot rollout at Euston
Network Rail and GoMedia install NaviLens codes at the Underground access, the outer aisles with shops, the «Way out» signs, the accessible toilets, the water fountains and the pillars of every platform (1–18) — always paired with the «SCAN FROM 14M FAR AWAY» pictogram.
1 Jul 2022
My London coverage
Rafi Mauro-Benady publishes «What the unusual signs in London's train stations mean and how to use them» — the first mainstream feature explaining the NaviLens codes of the Euston rollout to a general audience.
Nov 2022
Railway-News interview
Icomera and GoMedia explain in Railway-News how Visor combines NaviLens with Network Rail's live departure feed to guide blind travellers from the entrance to the platform or to the shops.
13 Apr 2023
Double SPOTLIGHT Rail Award
At the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, Visor (built on NaviLens) wins «Service of the Year» and «Delivering for the Customer» at the SPOTLIGHT Rail Awards — the jury explicitly highlights the Euston pilot rollout.
§ What they said
What Network Rail, GoMedia, Railway-News and the London press said.
“Network Rail is testing a new technology to help blind and partially sighted passengers navigate one of London's busiest stations. Multi-coloured codes have been put up around Euston station, which when scanned with a smartphone announce nearby information such as the platform number, the way to the toilets or the nearest shop.”
“Visor uses NaviLens — a smart code that can be scanned from up to 14 metres away — and combines it with live train information from the station's data feed. At Euston we deployed Visor across the whole concourse, platforms and toilets so that, for the first time, a blind passenger can step into one of the busiest stations in Europe and find their platform, the lifts or a coffee shop, completely independently.”
“GoMedia has won 'Service of the Year' and 'Delivering for the Customer' at the SPOTLIGHT Rail Awards for its accessible wayfinding solution for passengers with sight loss, Visor — first deployed at London Euston with Network Rail.”
§ Results
The UK's busiest station, accessible too.
100% navigable station
Codes at accesses, aisles, «Way out» signs, toilets, fountains and the 18 platforms — blind travellers cross Euston unassisted
Live departures in audio
Network Rail's feed is voiced inside the app: «09:20 Manchester Piccadilly platform 5» is heard with a single scan
Model replicated across the UK
After Euston, GoMedia rolls Visor on top of NaviLens to other WCML stations and UK hubs
§ And your network?
Your next station can also speak.
Tell us about your network, your pain points and the KPIs you want to move. We’ll show you how NaviLens would fit —with comparable cases.
