The Grand Central Station Ambassador Programme was piloted in the North East at Hartlepool and Eaglescliffe stations before being launched in Brighouse in 2014.
Now more than 80 volunteer station ambassadors work with us to respond to passenger queries and provide them with a friendly welcome to the towns along our North East and West Riding routes.
Our ambassadors man stations on a Sunday, talking to passengers, answering any questions and assisting with problems. The ambassadors also work on ensuring people coming into the stations get the best from the destinations.
Our ambassador coordinator Paul Stevenson, says,
Volunteering on the railway gives our ambassadors a sense of belonging both to the company and the locality. They are doing something towards a green agenda, encouraging rail travel and because Grand Central’s reputation is good they can take pride in being part of an industry leader.
The scheme’s purpose was originally to engage with local communities through a scheme that filled the gap in staff presence at stations on Sundays. However, as that network has grown we have realised that the ambassadors are a great way to keep our eyes and ears open to all things local. We love having highly committed, passionate and knowledgeable champions who fly the flag for our communities, ensuring visitors return.
Meet the Ambassadors
“We get a lot of feedback from the passengers” Andrew Whitmore from Ingleby Barwick works as a station coordinator for Grand Central, after getting involved in 2019. A keen rail traveller, he’s also a volunteer at the National Railway Museum in York.
“Being an ambassador, I really feel like I’m part of Grand Central” Retired, part-time driver Bryan has been with Northallerton ambassadors ever since the scheme kicked off and has become a familiar face on the platform.
“It’s great to be able to make a difference” Our ambassadors don’t just help our passengers, sometimes it’s the other way around too. For Caroline Young, who lost her mother to dementia, being able to help a regular passenger with a similar condition is a great comfort.
“The feedback indicates that we are really doing something that’s valued by the public” When Christopher Purser first got involved as a Grand Central ambassador it took a while to get things going.