The station environment at Gipsy Hill is now more welcoming and easier to navigate after a customer-centric upgrade where all aspects of the station environment were considered, from lighting to staff training and from accessibility to community engagement.

Gipsy Hill is the second of three London stations chosen to trial the “Model Stations” concept pioneered by GTR, Southern’s parent company, which sets out to vastly improve the customer experience, creating a simpler and more consistent station environment to attract passengers to the railway – with plans to take the successes of the scheme across its network of 236 stations. The concept aligns with GTR’s plan to deliver a reliable and dependable service, driving industry-wide improvements while maintaining a focus on efficiency and taxpayer value.

Since the refurbishment, customer satisfaction among passengers has shot up by +11 percentage points from 79 per cent to 90 per cent and the station will be closely monitored with a new Customer Service Quality Management standard.

GTR’s Chief Customer Officer Louis Rambaud said: “We want to create a blueprint for stations across the country, one that creates environments that passengers find welcoming, clean and comfortable, safe, secure, digitised, accessible and inclusive with ‘model staff’ serving their communities and customers.

“We can’t transform the UK’s entire network of stations in one go but creating a clear outline of expected outcomes will ensure that future investment is spent wisely and efficiently, delivering the best outcome for taxpayers and passengers alike.

“Key to the success of the model stations concept is the people who both use and work at our stations. We’ve built on our already strong partnership with the Friends of Gipsy Hill, who are essential partners in both helping us understand the needs of passengers and also helping us keep the station garden blooming.

“We have brilliant teams at each of our three pilot stations who have been through our new Great Journey Makers training programme, and we want to promote their amazing attitudes. We’ll be inviting our managers to visit these completed locations, to take pictures and consider how they can bring their stations up to a similar standard.

“This is not just about monetary investment. Significant improvements can be made right away at low cost simply by looking at stations through the eyes of our customers. For example, working with community groups like the Friends of Gipsy Hill makes a huge difference and really helps root stations within their communities through a range of locally led customer focused initiatives.”

A celebration of the programme’s completion at Gipsy Hill was held in the station garden, looked after by the Friends of Gipsy Hill, on Friday, 3 July with Local MP Helen Hayes; the Mayor of Lambeth Paul Valentine; DFTO CEO Alex Hynes along with members of the local community and people who worked on the project. Helen Hayes MP cut the ribbon to the refreshed station.

Andy Scholes, Treasurer at the Friends of Gipsy Hill said: “By working collaboratively with GTR, the council, our local MP Helen Hayes and our brilliant members, we’ve been able to really build upon Gipsy Hill’s local identity right here at the station.

“Our organisation is rooted in the station’s history and we’re pleased to be celebrating its 170th birthday this year. Neither us nor the railway could do what we do without each other and we’re very excited for the future here.”

The Model Station concept works by removing visual and physical ‘clutter’ from around the station, refurbishing customer-facing areas and splitting the main booking hall into ‘zones’ for planning journeys, buying tickets and travelling.

Staff have received new Great Journey Makers training, designed to help them give top-class customer service with a focus on creating ‘moments of connection’ and will be sporting new uniforms to make them easily recognisable and approachable.

Behind the scenes, new consistent processes ensure efficient, safer and smarter ways of working, whilst still retaining the station’s local character.

Helen Hayes, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood said: “The improvements at Gipsy Hill have already made a real difference to the daily journeys of my constituents, and the simplicity of this project is what makes it so successful.

“Railway stations are at the heart of our communities and it is uplifting to see the great partnership work between Southern, the Friends of Gipsy Hill and Lambeth Council to make this possible, and ensure the station reflects the identity of the local area.”

Gipsy Hill was chosen because of its partial step-free access to one platform, which helps test the Model Stations concept across different station designs and passenger needs. Enfield Chase in north London was the first Model Station, with Elstree & Borehamwood to follow in the coming weeks.

Alex Hynes, Chief Executive of DFTO, GTR’s parent organisation, said: “The Model Stations programme at GTR exemplifies the modern, customer-focused railway we are building for our customers.

“With eight in ten passenger journeys made on one of our publicly-owned operators, there’s a great opportunity to share successes from this scheme across the country as we work together to build a better railway for everyone in Britain.”

Better stations are just some of the improvements passengers will see ahead of the formal establishment of Great British Railways by the end of 2027.

The station has been decluttered and zoned into areas that include planning your journey, buying your tickets and starting your journey with clear, real-time information.

The booking hall is more welcoming with new flooring and brighter lighting – along with a new coffee shop in the station building. Across the station, fresh paintwork and clearer wayfinding signs both in public and staff areas have greatly improved the look and feel of its buildings and platforms.

New, more modern customer information screens have been installed to provide customers with clearer real-time service information, including the number of carriages, toilet and lift availability, and departure times.

An interactive screen positioned underneath a ‘Plan your Journey’ sign puts onward travel, journey planning and a station map at passengers’ fingertips. The screen also shows departure times in British Sign Language to improve accessibility.

Helpful posters, like network maps and planned engineering work information, have all been grouped into one place in the journey planning section. The station ‘Welcome’ map has been redesigned to be much clearer.

Wayfinding signs have all been upgraded to a newer, modern standard which is clearer to read from a distance.

Beneath a bold ‘Get your Tickets’ sign, refreshed ticket machines and a more visible ticket office also make it easier for customers to buy and collect tickets, or ask journey questions.

A renewed focus on encouraging days out by train, the most sustainable travel option, sees bright images and journey inspiration on display across the station .