The disputed display screen at Euston station. (PA Media)

The government-owned company faced backlash in 2024 after it began using the screen for advertising, replacing the station’s main train information board in a bid to raise revenue.

The screen, which is 15m (49ft) wide and 4m (13ft) tall, stopped showing adverts in October 2024 after the then transport secretary, Louise Haigh, ordered Network Rail to tighten its management of Euston amid overcrowding concerns.

At the time, Ms Haigh said: “For too long, Euston station simply hasn’t been good enough for passengers. That’s why I’ve tasked Network Rail with coming up with a clear plan to immediately improve conditions for passengers.”

Louise Haigh has raised major complaints related to the adverts display screens back in October 2024. (Laurie Noble Photography)

On Thursday, Network Rail said it will begin a two-week trial on Monday, using the screen’s “outer sections” for advertising.

The company said the pilot has been shaped by feedback from passengers and stakeholders, and will apply lessons learned from 2024. Network Rail’s route director, Gary Walsh, said at the time: “Passengers haven’t received the experience they deserve at Euston recently and we need to do better.”

The central part of the display will continue to show travel information for passengers.

Passengers await their trains to be announced, at a quiet Euston station, in London, Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Tens of thousands of railway workers walked off the job in Britain on Tuesday, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike for three decades. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Network Rail said any future advertising revenue “will be reinvested into improvements benefiting passengers”.

It also announced a set of spring upgrades at Euston, including refurbishing the assisted travel lounge, adding more seating, and creating a new customer service hub.

In September 2023, rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) issued an improvement notice to Network Rail over conditions at the station, saying it had failed to address safety risks linked to what it described as “unacceptable” overcrowding.

@adventurewithells

Anyone else fine London Euston station constantly packed with no where to sit and mostly empty shops? Think I’m too used to airport departures 😅🛫 #londoneuston #London #fyp #explore

♬ i think i accidentally made a trend – mira~☆

The ORR said in December that Network Rail had met the requirements of the improvement notice, though concerns about the station remained.

In October 2024, watchdog London TravelWatch said “last-minute announcements” were causing passengers to “rush to platforms”, and that staff appeared overwhelmed by the crowds.

Network Rail has since introduced changes at Euston, including allowing more time for boarding, improving signage and altering parts of the layout.

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