Deaf and hard of hearing customers travelling on Chiltern Railways can now contact the rail operator through its interpretation services.

Chiltern Railways has partnered with British Sign Language company SignLive.

Travellers can now contact the rail operator via a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter from the SignLive app.

Using the app, customers can contact the Chiltern customer service team who will answer queries such as booking tickets, checking journey planners and booking passenger assistance.

The BSL interpreter will then relay customers' queries back to Chiltern.

This improves the communication process, making travel much more accessible.

Andy Camp, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: “We are thrilled to have introduced this crucial service which will improve accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing customers travelling with Chiltern.

“We are determined to provide an inclusive railway for everyone and improving communication between customers and Chiltern colleagues is a huge step in the right direction.”

Fiona Mackay, chief operating officer of SignLive, said: “We are delighted to partner with Chiltern Railways to provide British Sign Language interpreting services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing passengers.

“This collaboration is a significant step toward greater accessibility in public transportation. We believe that everyone should be able to travel with ease and now Deaf passengers can call Chiltern Railways when needed.”