Taiwan Railway showcases color-coded direction at new Tainan Station

Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) Taiwan Railway plans to gradually color-code platform signage, departure screens and information boards -- blue for northbound and green for southbound -- starting at the new Tainan Station, the company said Saturday.

The new underground Tainan Station -- which could open in mid-October pending safety inspections -- is already outfitted with the color-coded wayfinding system, making it the first station to feature the new design, the company told reporters.

Taiwan Railway disclosed the plan following a Ministry of Transportation and Communications media tour of the station Friday, which CNA attended.

Under the updated system, northbound (clockwise) routes are designated in blue, whereas southbound (counterclockwise) routes are in green. The design mirrors the layout used at Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) stations.

The company noted that in addition to the color-coded system, platform nameboards at the new underground Tainan Station feature a minimalist layout displaying the station name (in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean) and adjacent stops to enhance readability.

In contrast, traditional station boards also feature the company logo, photos of local attractions and distances between adjacent stops, in addition to station names in Chinese and English.

Taiwan Railway said it will gradually allocate funds to upgrade the wayfinding system across its network, though it did not provide a specific timeline.