East Midlands Railway (EMR)

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is a major train operating company, providing essential passenger services throughout the East Midlands and connecting the region to London. As part of their Network Dressing 2025 programme, EMR set out to refresh and optimise every in station and on train owned advertising and branding site within their network.

The goal of the initiative was not simply aesthetic, this was about maximising the value of every single branding location. These sites would be strategically used to promote rail value offers, run seasonal campaigns, and strengthen EMR’s visual identity across the network. Ultimately, the aim was to increase passenger journeys, grow ticket revenue, and enhance brand affinity among both leisure and commuter audiences.

Adding to the challenge was a significant creative shift: EMR’s new leisure travel campaign, launching in October 2024, would introduce ‘Miles’ their vibrant new brand character. Miles is all about making train travel ‘epic’ encouraging travellers to see every journey as an adventure. The Network Dressing project needed to incorporate this fresh campaign style across key sites, delivering consistency, impact, and a sense of excitement for passengers.

This was no small undertaking. The work covered over 80 advertising and branding installations across 12 stations, all of which needed to be surveyed, produced, and installed before the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

The project was split into four distinct ‘Lots’ each with its own scope, technical considerations, and creative opportunities:

Lot 1 – Standard Station Dressing SitesThese installations involved replacing existing branding and advertising displays on a like for like basis, ensuring the materials and dimensions matched the originals but with updated creative. While these sites might seem straightforward, the key was to maintain perfect consistency across multiple locations.

Lot 2 – Special Build SitesThese sites offered room for creativity, allowing us to think beyond standard formats. By using alternative materials and incorporating structural enhancements, we were able to create installations that demanded attention from passing customers.

Lot 3 – Lightbox SitesEMR already had lightboxes at Derby and Nottingham stations, these were to be upgraded with new artwork and to install new lightbox sites at other stations, leveraging the increased visibility and vibrancy that illuminated displays provide.

Lot 4 – Miles Gallery at East Midlands Parkway

The existing ‘Miles Gallery’ consisted of a fully vinyl wrapped wall showing EMR’s main routes between London St Pancras and Nottingham/Sheffield, complete with picture frames.containing images of Miles at various attractions, and small descriptive plaques mimicking a real art gallery. The task was to replace every framed image, replace the back wall wrap, and ensure the gallery told a compelling, up to date story.

Following the award of the project, we began by holding collaborative planning sessions with the EMR team to align on the scope, deadlines, and creative approach. A crucial early step was to conduct an extensive survey of all 12 stations and every single installation site. This site audit ensured that:

• Every element would be fit for purpose and appropriate for the location.

• Materials were chosen for durability and cost efficiency.

• Potential obstacles were identified early, reducing risk during installation.

Once surveying was complete, our project managers worked closely with EMR to finalise any adjustments to the specifications. The production schedule was then locked in, allowing our in house team to begin manufacturing.

Over the course of the project, our production team manufactured a wide variety of materials including;

Mactac Wall Wrap White High Tack Graphics Film

3mm Coala Printbond PREMIUM 308 Dibond

5mm Foamalite, XPRESS, Filmed, white

Coala View One way Vision(Contravision)

UFabrik Backlit Textile ECO

440gsm Coala Front-Lit STANDARD PVC Banner

Our installation teams then worked to an agreed schedule, coordinating closely with EMR’s operations team to minimise disruption to passengers.

The “Miles” branding was carefully applied to ensure maximum visibility and impact, particularly in high footfall areas and became eye catching focal points within stations, while the new lightboxes brought vibrancy and illumination to key areas. The refreshed “Miles Gallery” at East Midlands Parkway became not just a branding space, but a memorable passenger experience.

The project was delivered on time, within budget, and to a consistently high standard. EMR benefitted from substantial cost savings by consolidating the four Lots under a single supplier, while passengers are now greeted by fresh, engaging, and consistent branding across the network.

The installations have given EMR a stronger platform for promoting leisure travel, and the clients words speak for themselves.

Client Feedback - “The team at John E Wright are fantastic to work with. Not only are their services excellent value for money, they are impeccably efficient and went above and beyond to ensure our recent project was complete without a hitch. I'm excited to work with them again on future projects.” –Marketing Executive, East Midlands Railway.