Public thanked as stations lit up by Railway Rainbows

Network Rail’s station teams at Bristol Temple Meads, Reading and London Paddington have thanked the public for their support after they received dozens of pictures of railway themed rainbows since launching an appeal earlier this month.

The Railway Rainbows project was launched on April 7 and is still ongoing, it follows a similar initiative where many people across the country are drawing rainbows and displaying them in the windows of their homes.

The idea for Railway Rainbows came from Network Rail’s station teams who wanted to brighten up the station and let those passengers who are still using the railway to get to and from work, including NHs staff, know just how appreciated they are.

With many Railway Rainbows already received the station team is asking the public to keep sending them in.

All the drawings received will be put up at the stations for the entirety of the coronavirus crisis, with some being displayed permanently as a constant reminder to frontline workers for all their amazing efforts.

Mustaq Haji, Network Rail’s station manager at London Paddington, said: “Thank you so much to everyone who has sent us their Railway Rainbows so far.

“They have already brightened up the station and been noticed by passengers including NHS staff, who have commented on them.”

Andy Phillips, Network Rail’s station manager at Reading and Bristol Temple Meads, said: “We are grateful for the number of Railway Rainbows that we have received so far.

“The rainbows are being displayed across both stations and it is great to see the constant message of spreading positivity to those who continue to rely on the railway to make essential journeys.

“We would love to see even more Railway Rainbows so please keep sending them to us, we really appreciate it.”

Meanwhile Network Rail is inviting the public to send in digital versions of their home-made pictures of rainbows with a railway theme to be displayed at London Liverpool Street station and on screens at stations across Anglia.

It is hoped that displaying railway-themed rainbows will lift the mood of station teams, NHS staff and key workers who are still relying on the railway to get to and from work. All other passengers are reminded not to travel if their journeys are not essential.

The Railway Rainbows project is open to all ages and follows a similar initiative many people have adopted across the country where they draw rainbows and place them in the windows of their homes.

The Railway Rainbows will be displayed digitally on the information display screens at London Liverpool Street station and other stations across the Anglia region for the entirety of the coronavirus crisis.

Emma Watson, London Liverpool Street station manager, said: “With fewer people using the station, our usually busy and lively environment can now seem unsettling and lonely for people who still need to travel to work.

“While we’re busy enabling those to travel who need to, we want to lift the mood in our stations, creating a welcoming and positive atmosphere with everyone’s rainbow pictures. We hope lots of people get behind this initiative to support our NHS and key workers.”

Please send your artwork by sharing it on Twitter with @networkrailLST using the hashtag #RailwayRainbows. Entrants can also include their name and age but this is not compulsory.

Photo credit: Network Rail 

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