All aboard with a kaleidoscope of colour on Great Western Railway’s Carnival Train
Revellers enjoyed a kaleidoscope of colour at 125mph as Great Western Railway joined in the Notting Hill Carnival celebrations by running its very own Carnival Train.
GWR provided free travel for diverse groups within some of its communities to attend Sunday’s carnival, including several families who’ve not had the opportunity to take the train to London Paddington before.
Two carriages on the 1000 service from Bristol Temple Meads were decorated with special carnival logos, while carnival goers were entertained by music and a range of colourful activities.
The Carnival Train was organised by GWR’s REACH employee network (Recognising Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), with support from Severnside Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and Reading Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership.
Carnival Train curator Mameri Eze said:
“GWR is proud to celebrate inclusion and diversity and running a Carnival Train in celebration of the Caribbean culture is a perfect fit. We were excited to bring it back for its second year and invite families on board who might not have travelled by train to London before.”
GWR Customer Services Director and REACH sponsor Rachel Geliamassi said:
“We really care about the communities we serve and this is a great way of sharing the carnival experience with them. We’ve joined forces with a number of groups in the Bristol area to give families a train journey to London, where they can party like never before at the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival.”
REACH and the two CRPs worked closely with St Pauls Carnival; youth organisation ACE (Aspiration Creation Elevation), and Hype Dance Company Bristol to provide the carnival experience.
After the unveiling of a special carnival logo on the side of the train at Bristol Temple Meads, revellers boarded to enjoy music by the Plymouth-based Real Steel Band and guitarist Edson Burton MBE, performances by Hype Dance Company and an art workshop with Carol Sherman.
The carnival train took top prize in the Best Community Engagement category at the 2024 Community Rail Awards and Severnside CRP Manager Heather Cullimore is looking forward to another fun-filled day.
Heather said:
“Carnival is an important part of cultural heritage for many of the communities in our area. We were fortunate to be part of the Carnival Train last year and families certainly had a day to remember. We’re all looking forward to more of the same this weekend.”
St Pauls Carnival Operations Manager Julie Syer said:
“We’re extremely grateful to GWR for offering us tickets for its special Carnival Train. This has enabled us to show our thanks and appreciation to our community partners, the amazing ACE youth project based at Docklands Youth Centre, by passing on the tickets. They are now getting their carnival vibes ready to take to Notting Hill Carnival.”
2024 Carnival Train
1000 Bristol Temple Meads
1013 Bath Spa
1026 Chippenham
1042 Swindon
1058 Didcot Parkway
1111 Reading
1136 London Paddington
Contact Information
John Carter
Media and Communications Manager
Great Western Railway
0845 410 4444
Notes to editors
First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services and helps nearly 90 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR has been awarded a National Rail Contract to operate the Great Western network: https://www.gwr.com/about-us