Bristol station to trial multilingual announcements in Auracast pilot

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Bristol Temple Meads to trial multilingual train announcements in Auracast and AI pilot

Photo: Supplied (Ampetronic)<br>" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/liamodell.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/website-template-6.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" />

Liam O’Dell

August 6, 2026

Station announcements at Bristol Temple Meads are to be made available in multiple languages, through a new pilot combining Bluetooth’s Auracast technology and artificial intelligence from the tech company XRAI.

The new passenger information system, which will have its first public demonstration on Thursday morning, expands upon assistive listening technology known as Auracast, which streams high-quality audio into compatible hearing aids, headphones and earbuds.

Meanwhile, XRAI’s translation platform can support up to 100 different languages.

Dan Scarfe, XRAI’s CEO, said: “For more than a century, public announcements have followed the same model: one voice speaking to everyone at once.

“This project shows what’s possible when you combine AI with the latest broadcast technologies. Instead of asking every passenger to adapt to the announcement, the announcement adapts to the passenger.

“Whether you’re visiting the UK for the first time, travelling on business, or using compatible hearing technology, being able to hear important travel information in your own language has the potential to transform the passenger experience.”

The latest pilot – part of the Station Innovation Zone project run by Connected Places Catapult – follows an initial trial of Auracast at Bristol Temple Meads in July last year, which was also overseen by the innovation agency.

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Connected Places Catapult’s rail director, Alan Peters, said: “It’s exciting to see this project build on last year’s successful Auracast trial, bringing together multiple innovators to demonstrate how AI and next-generation audio technology is helping industry partners evaluate innovation in real operational environments.”

Located around eight miles from Bristol Airport, Bristol Temple Meads is the busiest station in southwest England, with an estimated 10.9 million entries and exits from 2024 to 2025, according to the Office of Rail and Road.

The latest Auracast trial at the station comes a month after Brighton station became the first UK rail station to implement the technology permanently.

In a joint statement commenting on the pilot, Network Rail’s Brian Wortman and Andy Rhodes said: “As our railway welcomes more international visitors and increasingly diverse communities, we’re always looking for ways to make passenger information more accessible.

“This pilot shows how emerging technologies like AI and Auracast could help remove language barriers and improve the travel experience, while giving us valuable insight into how these innovations could be applied across the wider rail network in the future.”

Demonstrations of the new technology will take place at Bristol Temple Meads on Thursday, between 10am and midday.

More information, including how to book a test slot, can be found on XRAI’s website.

Images: Supplied (Ampetronic).

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