Signalbox teams up with what3words
We’re pleased to partner with the innovative location tech company, what3words, to help rail customers navigate stations and find facilities at every UK station.
Signalbox now includes the main entrance of every railway station – particularly useful for stations with multiple entry and exit points.
what3words is revolutionising the way we communicate locations. It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. Now every station entrance, parking space, wheelchair ramp and hidden side passage has its own what3words address. For example, ///animated.infuses.meatball takes you precisely to the entrance of Farnborough Station. what3words technology is available in 54 languages and is free to download for iOS and Android or via the online map at what3words.com. Using Signalbox’s ‘Find My Train’ function, rail passengers will soon be able to access the location of several facilities at the station they are travelling to and from using a what3words address. Initially, this will include the main entrance of every railway station – particularly useful for stations with multiple entry and exit points.
However, it will soon be extended to include addresses for micro-mobility options such as bike/e-bike or e-scooter hire and for other rail facilities such as toilets, taxi ranks and car parks. It could also be used by passengers with mobility issues to find facilities such as disabled toilets and wheelchair access or for those with luggage to find the nearest storage facilities and lockers.
Thanks to Signalbox’s technology it’s already possible for rail passengers to send friends and family the estimated arrival time of their train via mobile phone text message. However, the new what3words partnership will allow rail travellers to share even more useful information, such as railway station exit points and pick-up point locations.
These can be accessed using any of the major GPS mapping software applications, such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze.
Toby Webb, Signalbox’s Founder and CEO, commented: “Our mission is to help make the lives of rail customers much easier than ever by helping them find their train, report any onboard incidents and share their arrival time, all via their mobile phone.
Our latest partnership with what3words extends the functionality of our service even further by helping customers to locate a whole range of station services, pick up points, and locate entrances and exits more easily.”
Patrick Arbuthnott, Head of Technology Partnerships at what3words added: ”There is nothing more frustrating than trying to navigate to a large, busy train station and find the best entrance, especially when you’re in a hurry or have mobility issues. It is great to see the clever ways what3words can be used to make life safer, more efficient and less frustrating, and Signalbox’ ‘Find my Train’ function will certainly help save people time and make their travel journeys seamless.”