Following a recent planning application for more digital advertising screens at Bristol Temple Meads train station, Adblock Bristol sent this open letter to Network Rail – who manage the premises.
An open letter to Network Rail – 27th March 2026
Dear Network Rail,
Firstly, congratulations on the completion of the recent roof renewal project at Bristol Temple Meads. It looks great and should provide a lasting asset for decades to come. Please extend our gratititude to everyone involved.
Secondly however, we are writing to express our opposition to the proposed and existing advertising screens at Bristol Temple Meads train station.
We are writing to express our opposition to the proposed and existing advertising screens at Bristol Temple Meads train station. A planning application for five more advertising screens was submitted to Bristol City Council in March 2026 (application number: 26/10393/LB). Following over 70 objections from Bristol residents, the planning application has been withdrawn.
The presence of four existing advertising screens on the subway passage of Bristol Temple Meads is already an unwelcome intrusion into the visual realm of the station. With their moving imagery and changing marketing messages for big corporate brands, these advert screens create a mental distraction when trying to move through the station and undermine the passenger experience. As fare-paying passengers, we actively have to expend energy to ignore these adverts.
One objection to the planning application from Bristol resident, forwarded to Adblock Bristol, said:
“Temple Meads is a much loved iconic and listed building, one of the gateways to Bristol. Recent renovations have made the station both beautiful and safe. Digital advertising screens would offer an unwelcome commercial presence into the historic building, detracting from its character and historic significance. The station is a place where we need room to breathe as we travel or meet loved ones traveling to Bristol. No one wants to be surrounded by distracting, intrusive and unsightly advertising screens.”
Bristol resident James Ward wrote in a separate objection:
“The existing advertising totems within the underground concourse are an eyesore and a distraction, as well as a physical barrier to moving swiftly through the station. People moving through a train station are not doing so idly. We need to find and process information on train times and platforms quickly, whilst safely navigating other travellers doing the same, in a fast-paced environment. Adding digital ad screens pulls attention away, reducing the passenger experience and adding needless stress and confusion to an already overwhelming environment.”
Too many billboards – the visual realm is a public realm
Egged on by outdoor advertising companies such as JCDecaux, in recent years Network Rail has allowed the interests of advertisers to dominate at some of the country’s busiest rail stations; most notably when train departure boards at London Euston’s station were replaced by a 200 foot advertising screen in 2024. The move caused uproar amongst commuters and an intervention by the Secretary of State for Transport to turn them off. We are alarmed to see the February 2026 announcement that the ad screen will be re-introduced to Euston. London Waterloo has similarly been taken over by an even larger stretch of motion video advertising screens, pictured below.
The digital ad screens at Euston and Waterloo contribute to a feeling of sensory overload as passengers attempt to navigate the station and find crucial schedule and platform information. They are particularly unwelcome during the heightened stress of cancellations, delays and platform alterations. The visual noise of unimportant advertising messages requires a cognitive effort and mental strain to resist – leading to subtle feelings of overwhelm and tiredness as we travel to and from work, leisure and our lives.
We call on Network Rail to:
- Remove all moving video content from advertising screens, allowing only static imagery (in the immediate term)
- Remove the existing screens from Bristol Temple Meads subway passage (as soon as possible)
- Phase out advertising screens across the network in the medium term.
The visual realm is a public realm and should not be dominated by corporate brands screaming ever louder for our attention. Let us travel in peace.
Yours sincerely,
Robbie Gillett
On behalf of Adblock Bristol
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