Project Overview

Architect: Murphy                  Contractor: DMC Contracts Ltd

A new railway station opens perhaps once in a generation. Beaulieu Park Station welcomed its first passengers in November 2024 – the first new station on the Great Eastern Main Line since the early 1900s.

Studmarc delivered the tactile wayfinding system for the entire station complex. We worked with DMC Contracts Ltd, specialist flooring subcontractors to Murphy, on this significant infrastructure project.

The station serves the expanding Beaulieu Park development north of Chelmsford. It will ease pressure on Chelmsford station and strengthen rail connections across Essex, providing a direct link to London Liverpool Street for a new community.

Challenges

Modern transport infrastructure must work for everyone from opening day. The bus stops, station concourse, and platform approaches needed clear tactile guidance routes. For visually impaired passengers navigating an unfamiliar station for the first time, these routes provide essential guidance to key destinations.

Solutions

We supplied SS316L stainless steel guiding strips with anti-slip inserts (380mm width) and stainless steel 316L tactile studs with anti-slip tape inserts (25mm). The system creates continuous guidance from bus stops through the concourse to ticket facilities, platforms, and exits.

The wayfinding follows the Network Rail Design Guide method. This approach was chosen for the intuitive way it conveys information about destinations and indicates when actions need to be performed before users can continue. The system is compliant with the PRM NTSN (Persons with Reduced Mobility – National Technical Specification Notice) and integrates with the flooring installation whilst maintaining railway accessibility requirements.

Grade 316L stainless steel provides the durability needed in a railway environment. The material withstands heavy footfall, weather exposure, and cleaning regimes. The anti-slip inserts maintain tactile definition and safety underfoot whilst adding visual contrast for partially sighted users who can utilise their residual vision. The inserts provide reliable performance in both dry and wet conditions.

The wayfinding system was supplied to meet the project timeline, ensuring it was fully operational for the station opening. Each strip and stud was specified to create an intuitive, continuous path meeting railway safety standards.

The station is now operational. Passengers can navigate independently from arrival to departure. The tactile system will guide people through this building for decades – a permanent contribution to accessible transport infrastructure in Essex.