Bristol Temple Meads, one of the busiest stations in South West England, has taken a significant step toward offering more inclusive travel experiences with the installation of Auracast™ broadcast audio. This new deployment creates meaningful change for people with hearing loss and those who rely on assistive listening solutions, delivering accessible audio to everyone as they navigate the station.
To highlight the impact of the Auracast™ trial, we gathered four unique perspectives from: a hearing aid user, an audiologist, a Deaf journalist, and the solution provider responsible for deploying the system.
The perspective from a hearing aid user
For Phil Creighton, travel has long been tied to stress and uncertainty. On a recent journey from Reading to Stafford, he described the familiar frustration, “…the train manager is making an announcement,” said Creighton. “I have no idea what is being said. It was just a babble of information buzzing around the carriage. My hearing aids, while brilliant, can’t cut through the crackle.”
During the Auracast™ broadcast audio trial at Bristol Temple Meads, Creighton had a different experience. Tuning in through his ReSound app, he heard station announcements as never before — consistent, clear, and reliable across the entire station. “If you only take away one thing from this review, it’s this: in public settings, Auracast™ delivers clear announcements,” said Creighton.
Read more about his experience.
The perspective from an audiologist
On his journey to Bristol Temple Meads, audiologist Matthew Allsop of HearingTracker explained that countless patients have told him about the stress of missing train or airport announcements, and how that uncertainty often leads to travel anxiety.
When he tuned in at Bristol Temple Meads, the difference was immediate. Platform announcements came through crystal clear, even with the bustle of the station around him. “It’s genuinely as simple as that,” said Dr. Allsop, highlighting how transformative this clarity could be for those who rely on hearing aids.
The trial demonstrates how Auracast™ broadcast audio can improve accessibility, boost confidence, and give people what he describes as a “superpower” in everyday life.
Learn about Allsop’s first-hand account.
The perspective from a Deaf journalist
Covering the trial, Liam O’Dell spotlights its significance as the first UK rail station to introduce Auracast™ broadcast audio. He places the installation in context with other high-profile rollouts, pointing to growing momentum in public venues.
O’Dell also spoke with the installer Ampetronic and the deaf charity RNID about their collaboration on user trials to better understand how deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers experience the system.
The perspective from the solution provider
Behind the scenes, Ampetronic led the deployment of Auracast™ broadcast audio at Bristol Temple Meads, installing ten transmitters across the station’s busiest areas so announcements could be accessed on compatible hearing aids, earbuds, headphones, and smartphones.
They detail how they partnered with RNID to carry out user trials, gathering feedback to evaluate how the system performs in real-world travel. As their team put it, early reactions have been “extremely encouraging,” with many reporting clearer audio and greater confidence navigating the station.
Read more about the installation.
Public locations all over the world are installing Auracast™ systems
The installation at Bristol Temple Meads is one example of a wider momentum behind Auracast™ broadcast audio in public venues. From world-renowned cultural landmarks to local theatres and churches, venues worldwide are beginning to embrace the technology to make communication clearer and more inclusive.
Though currently in a trial phase, the system is being tested and refined on-site to understand how real passengers use it and to evaluate where it can be optimized for the station environment. Even in this early stage, the trial is already demonstrating how accessible audio can support people with
Learn more about real-world Auracast™ deployments.
