Thameslink stations and partners shortlisted for community awards

Thameslink’s Elstree & Borehamwood and Cricklewood stations have been shortlisted for the “It's Your Station” category of the Association of Community Rail (ACORP) Awards.

The awards, due to be announced on 29 September, celebrate unsung heroes and heroines of the community rail world, alongside the hard work and dedication put into their community projects. The award category looks for station gardens and environments that enhance the passenger experience and involve the local community.

Elstree & Borehamwood station

Elstree & Borehamwood station has been shortlisted for a gold award by ACORP. In recent years, community group “First Impressions” has transformed Elstree and Borehamwood station, to ensure it reflects the community and its rich film heritage. From iconic wall sculptures, heritage panels, the start of a Film and TV Heritage Trail and a new welcome wall, to beautiful planters, all served by an environmentally-friendly water butt, this group really has pulled out all the stops to make the location somewhere people want to go.

Made up of a range of partners, from very different organisations, there is no doubting that First Impressions has made the station their own.

Cricklewood station

Cricklewood station has been shortlisted for a silver award by ACORP. An extremely passionate group, The Town Team, have adopted Cricklewood station and in no time at all, worked with a variety of individuals and groups, to transform the station’s entrance. The Town Team has turned a disused, littered piece of land into a beautiful green area, supported by new screening, photo collages and a new personalised station clock. The “cherry has been added to the cake” with fantastic letters spelling out Cricklewood, all made from reclaimed scaffolding boards. The 30-plus volunteers also have lots more ideas, including a water butt and living Christmas tree.

James Gillett, Thameslink’s Station Manager for Elstree & Borehamwood and Cricklewood, said:

“The work of the volunteers at both stations has been truly fantastic and I am so pleased they have been recognised with these shortlistings.

“First Impressions have been working really hard at the station for years and just continue to go from strength to strength. The last station welcome sign, designed with the BBC to reflect the importance of the organisation to the area, is fantastic.

“Cricklewood’s Town team have really grabbed hold of the station and the transformation work they have done at there is amazing. This has recently been finished with the new letters spelling out Cricklewood, which is a real work of art. It’s a really bold statement to say ‘We’re here, look at us! This station is an important part of the community.’ It puts Cricklewood station at the heart of the community where it belongs.”

Thameslink’s Community Investment and CSR Manager, Andy Harrowell, said:

“At Thameslink, we are focused on putting our stations at the heart of the communities they serve. We have seen more and more station partnerships setup over the last year and it's wonderful that the efforts of two have been recognised in this way.

“Over the past 12 months we have really been able to make a difference to local communities, whether it be working with volunteer groups to help tailor our stations in a way which further reflects the local area or inspiring youngsters and those with disabilities about safe and independent train travel. These shortlistings are recognition of the efforts of some many of our staff and volunteers.”

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Thameslink, has also been shortlisted in a number of other categories, including:

Passengers Matter

Since last August, GTR, working with Sussex Community Rail Partnership (SCRP), has revamped and reinvigorated the process for adopting stations across our wide network, to form station partnerships. From new promotional material, to events to bring partners together and help them to share ideas, we are having a huge impact on our communities. In total 17 additional stations have been adopted, with at least 10 more in discussions/being planned. This includes Crofton Park, Cricklewood and Elstree & Borehamwood stations.

As a result our stations are more appealing and further reflect the communities they serve.

Involving Diverse Groups

Working with SCRP, as part of both organisations joint commitments to encouraging more and more people to travel by train, especially helping to make the railway as accessible as possible, we joined together at the start of the year to provide seven Try the Train events. These were provided over the course of six weeks, to a range of diverse groups, helping to dispel the myths and reservations about train travel. We received some wonderful feedback from these events and there has been many positives outcomes for the groups and our teams too.

Involving Young People

Both GTR and SCRP are committed to encouraging use of the railway, especially in young people. Working together, we have now created and delivered our Go-Learn material, on safe and independent travel, to over 6,000 youngsters, in less than a year. This includes attending intense safety events, with SCRP’s education officer delivering hour-long sessions at schools and hosting station visits with local teams, alongside short train journeys.

These sessions have received extremely positive feedback from teachers, with children really enjoying them.

Ends

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:

Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)

Gatwick Express – Fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria

Thameslink – Bedford to Brighton, Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks

Great Northern – London to Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn

GTR is now the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 273 million passenger journeys per year, employs around 6,500 people and generates annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn.

Details of the franchise are below:

22% of all UK passengers

6,500 employees

£1.3bn annual revenue

£329m passenger journeys

£50m investment to enhance all 239 stations

50% increase in capacity

1,398 new train carriages

10,000 additional morning peak seats into London

Free Wi-Fi at 104 stations

20,000 days of customer service training for frontline employees

£1m per year for local communities to spend on improvements at stations

The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.

Southern and Gatwick Express websites: southernrailway.com and gatwickexpress.com.

Press office number for enquiries about Thameslink or Great Northern: 0203 750 2031.