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By Jenny Cleeton, Social Media & Video Content Creator

June 20, 2018 | 3 min read

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed the clean pale interior of Farringdon Station's Elizabeth Line passenger areas, which features carefully placed digital panels around the doors on platforms to attract advertisers.

When the station does partly open at the end of 2018, TfL plans to scrap print ads and turn its attention to digital with ‘ribbons’ featuring on the walls of the escalators and illuminated panels in the concourse and ticket hall areas.

According to the Elizabeth line operations director Howard Smith, each station has been designed to be really open with sound absorbing walls to reduce echo in a bid to make advertising on the platform stand out. He explained that he wanted to bring in a new technology to the station after working on the project for 10 years.

Smith discussed the desire to reflect the areas of which each station is set in. In Farringdon, there is a nod to the historic Hatton Garden jewellery quarter opposite the station with diamond features throughout. This includes diamond carvings in the ceilings and the work of local artists through Crossrail’s art programme featured on the walls.

He said: “The first thing to think is actually what the environment will be like itself. They [the art programme] worked with local galleries to identify high quality and local art that can be displayed and form an integral part of the Elizabeth line.”

The station also features a simple pale concrete for walls rather than the traditional tube station tiles to reflect the Barbican area.

Alongside design elements, the Elizabeth line has decided to move away from numbered platforms and has instead adopted the terms platform A and platform B. The stations will still point out the direction they go to, however east will now be A and west B.

Having announced its advertising plans to have six sector specific advertisers on a one-year contract and a minimum investment of £6.5m, TfL is yet to confirm if it has signed any brands or advertisers up to the Elizabeth line. The Drum reached out for comment and has been told the next update will be in July.

TfL’s director of commercial development Graeme Craig told brands at the launch of the plan in February that he hoped it would help build a “deep relationship” with advertisers.

Creative Crossrail Transport For London (TFL)

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