Northern trains to trial British Sign Language announcements

Northern said rail announcements will be shown in BSL on screens on trains between Leeds and Manchester Victoria

Train announcements will be shown in sign language on Northern rail services as part of a trial, the company said.

Information will be displayed on screens on trains between Leeds and Manchester Victoria.

Census data showed BSL was the main language of 22,000 people and Northern said it aims to launch the announcements by the end of the year.

Marc Silverwood from the company said he wanted "to make a difference to our customers and provide for them".

"We know that rail travel can be daunting for anyone with specific needs, and I really hope this makes a difference to give people confidence to travel by rail," he added.

The company is now looking for organisations to help provide sign language interpreters for the project.