Four EMR stations make shortlist in public vote to find Britain’s favourite railway station

Four East Midlands Railway stations have made it through to the finals in the World Cup of Stations. Leicester, Nottingham, Bottesford and Spalding will battle it out on Twitter this week to secure their place in the final on Friday 16^th October.

With sports fans having been denied their usual fix during much of the COVID 19 pandemic, the World Cup of Stations, returning for its second year, will give EMR passengers a chance to cheer on their local station as it competes in the top-flight of social media polling.

The national competition is organised by the Rail Delivery Group, who represent train operators and the wider rail industry and will see 48 stations large and small representing each region of the country competing in a series of online polls starting today.

Regional and national heats are sure to stoke rivalries. By Friday, the competition will have been whittled down to a final four with one of Britain’s 2,579 railway stations named the nation’s favourite on Friday evening.

The competition comes as stations up and down the country welcome more people back to the railway supporting communities and local businesses as Britain continues to learn to live with COVID-19. Station staff are working hard to ensure stations can play their full role supporting Britain’s recovery from COVID, keeping people connected and boosting regional economies.

Leicester and Nottingham are two of EMR’s largest stations, providing EMR Intercity services to and from London St Pancras International. Bottesford and Spalding may be smaller regional stations but they are important parts of their local community and well cared for by their station adopters.

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director for EMR said: “We are delighted that four of our stations have made it to through to the finals of the World Cup of Stations.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Team EMR has worked tirelessly to keep services running and make our environments safe for passengers and colleagues. 

“We encourage our passengers to vote for their local station through our social media channels.”

Robert Nisbet, Director of Nations and Regions for the Rail Delivery Group, which is organising the competition said,

“The World Cup of Stations is about celebrating the thousands of stations across the country many of which have been at the heart of their communities for more than a century. It’s also about recognising the friendly local faces who have kept key workers moving throughout the pandemic. As Britain gets moving again, their role in supporting local businesses and spreading opportunity is more important than ever.”

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