South Shore Line
Transit alert redesign to communicate schedule changes in a clearer way.
Transit alert redesign to communicate schedule changes in a clearer way.
This project is an ongoing project to demonstrate improvements in rider communication and wayfinding for South Shore Line. This project will include redesigning concepts of station signage and customer alerts.
South Shore Line (SSL) is an interurban commuter rail train running from
Millennium Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois to South Bend International Airport in South Bend, Indiana.
Commuter trains run everyday, including weekends, with more trains during rush hour on weekdays.
This rail service serves Cook County (IL), Lake (IN) County, LaPorte (IN) County, Porter (IN) County, and St. Joseph (IN) County.
SSL has seen tremendous upgrades the last few years on the Lakeshore Corridor and now new Monon Corridor.
Hammond Gateway serves as a transfer station between the Lakeshore and Monon Corridor lines. Some signage installed at this rail station make it hard for riders to find their way to the correct train. This includes starting their journey at Hammond Gateway or arriving through transfering. I have a personal story that I can share to indicate that this has happened to a friend, who I will call Audrey. Audrey lives in Chesterton, Indiana. She takes the South Shore Line to travel to Chicago without having to drive on the highway. One time, Audrey was with a group of people at the Hammond Gateway transfer station before the Monon Corridor Line was completed. Her train was scheduled to in the next minute, so she felt like she was fine to be alone on the platform. There was a mishap with the train schedule, so she got on the train going Westbound back to Chicago when she needed Eastbound going to South Bend. There is no signage at eye level to prevent little mistakes like this.
This demonstrates a redesign of a transit alert that informs riders about schedule changes. To emphasize that there were changes, I made the summary of the alert bold and provided a chart to easily search for a route.