CSMT signage termed ideal, all stations asked to emulate it

The signage at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT has been described as ideal and other stations across Indian Railways have been recommended to emulate it in the latest national railway signage policy document which has been updated for the first time since 1999 An official told midday that signage helps visitors make cognitive decisions related to their journey and other needs on railway station premisesldquoGood signage conveys messages swiftly and unambiguously often without the need to read the complete contents Welldesigned signage uses simple and easily decipherable language easytoread colours and fonts intuitive pictograms and conveys a message quickly and unambiguouslyrdquo the official saidldquoSignage at various parts of CSMT station including the concourse entryexit gates circulating area direction boards individual platform signage have been cited as ideal examplesrdquo he added stating the document also praised the way the signs have been placed their design elliptical glow boards size of text graphics and uniform LED illuminationThe policy document a copy of which is with midday states that though the technical specification of signage that has been used at CSMT has been given for reference purposes only the detailed specifications including material etc across Indian Railways shall be prepared by zonal railways as per station requirements at the site and as per good industry practices as technologies and materials evolve continuously and the actual technical specifications may varyldquoFor the convenience of passengers platform number signage and indicative boards were upgraded at CSMT in March 2021 The signage includes large fonts displaying the platform numbers of suburban and longdistance trains which help passengers easily locate platforms from a considerable distance CSMT is one of the busiest stations and sees lakhs of passengers every day The suburban zone of the station has platform numbers 1 to 7 and three indicative boards and platform numbers 8 to 18 and 2 indicative boards have been providedrdquo a spokesperson saidMandated fontsThe national railway signage policy document mandates that the English text font for signage should be Helvetica Bold for all nonilluminated signs and illuminated signs while the Utsaah Bold font should be used for all Hindi text For regional languages the fonts must be suitably selected with the approval of the local divisional railway manager concernedA diagram in the document showing how information should be conveyedAccording to the document where bilingual signage is used the font size of both languages shall ldquobe the same and as mentioned aboverdquo Where trilingual signage is to be used the regional language will be the main language and ldquoits font size will be as mentioned above and font size of other two languages shall be approximately 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the size of regional languagerdquoThe objectivesPictograms in the documentAccording to the document the objective is to provide a uniform rationale for locating signage considering how they will be read by whom from which direction at which height and in relation to other elements that exist or will exist within the space so that they serve the maximum volume of passengersgeneral public to provide a basis for aesthetically designed signage well integrated with station architecture to plan and design the signage such that the station is easily accessible even to a firsttime visitor and to ensure standard signages suitably formatted with specified designmaterialsThe policy also seeks to ensure that information on the signage is precise and uniform accommodating essential information reduce redundancy and avoid visual clutter bring about the use of uniform languagelegends across India and ensure that the signage is accessible to the maximum extent possible by Divyangjan users